Designing effective corridors requires identifying areas of functional connectivity – how species respond to and move around the structural elements in the landscape. However, identifying these areas can be challenging. Functional connectivity depends on how a species uses habitat, meaning that areas of functional connectivity can fluctuate if habitat use changes.
Viau, J., Sigouin, D., St-Laurent, M. 2024. Seasonality in functional connectivity: A case study with the American marten in Forillon National Park. Ecosphere 5:e4866
How a species uses habitat and disperses can be affected by changing environmental conditions, such as seasonal or weather patterns. For example, factors such as resource availability or predation risk can vary seasonally, which can alter a species’ habitat preferences across time. Given that functional connectivity is determined by how a species uses habitat, functional connectivity could vary in response to these seasonal changes.
Recent research looked at how functional connectivity changes seasonally for the American marten (Martes americana) in Forillon National Park, Canada. In 2020 and 2021, researchers fit martens with GPS collars to track their movements, recording 1,648 GPS locations from 8 martens. They used these locations to identify habitat use and potential movement corridors for martens in two seasons: snow-free period (May-November) and snow-covered period (December-April).
The study found that habitat use and movement corridors for martens varied between seasons. In snow-free periods, martens avoided open areas and anthropogenic features, such as roads, in contrast to snow-covered periods where martens did not exhibit this avoidance. Because martens are able to move through deep snow easier than their predators, martens may be able to use open areas during snowfall that otherwise have a high predation risk.
These changes in habitat selection between seasons led to different connectivity patterns for martens. Using habitat selection data from tracked martens, researchers identified areas that could be movement corridors for martens. Because martens avoided different habitat areas during snow-free periods compared to snow-covered periods, functional connectivity patterns changed between seasons. During snow-free periods, marten movement was constrained by open habitats, but during snow-covered periods martens were able to move more freely.
These findings highlight that identifying and protecting movement corridors requires consideration of seasonal changes. An effective corridor at one time point may not be as effective at another time if a species exhibits seasonal differences in habitat preference. Understanding how functional connectivity changes across time will strengthen approaches to managing protected areas and designing corridors.
Related Posts
Bridging the gap between connectivity science and action
To address the disconnect between science and real-world implementation, a new framework resolves longstanding uncertainties about how to effectively protect large-scale ecological linkages in an era of increasing threats.
Functional connectivity can be seasonal
Habitat use by radio-collared American marten in Canada changes according to season, leading to shifting movement corridors over the course of the year.
Managing urban areas to conserve endangered species
Research on butterflies highlights how multiple factors – connectivity between green spaces, surrounding land use, and habitat quality – play a role in endangered species conservation in cities.
