Moving beyond the generic to develop metapopulation connectivity criteria

It’s time to shift from simple, broad rules of thumb to more species-specific analyses in order to quantitatively plan for connectivity, say Carlos Carroll and colleagues in their forthcoming paper in Conservation Biology (available online).  Focusing on the endangered Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi), they develop new methods to map connectivity that rely on a suite of quantitative information, such as existing pedigree data and species-specific demographic and habitat data.  By moving beyond vague planning procedures that are often too general to be useful, their methods provide a much more effective way to achieve connectivity goals and support active species management.

The Mexican wolf population was reduced to extremely low numbers and suffers from problematic inbreeding. But the species’ high dispersal ability suggests that the population could expand and re-establish a metapopulation structure.  The authors used population viability analysis that incorporated known pedigree data, and combined this with effective-distance metrics derived from habitat data to determine how feasible dispersal between populations may be.  The analysis took into account the variety in population size and dispersal probabilities that might lead to different population persistence scenarios.  The result was the identification of several habitat linkage areas that could be used to connect core wolf habitat, based on extensive incorporation of quantitative data.  The combination of population viability analysis with connectivity analysis also supported the need for connectivity in general to sustain small metapopulations.  By replacing generalities and broad determinants with available species-specific data, this new methodology can be much more effective in creating connected landscapes that achieve species recovery goals.