Ecological Connectivity

The concept of ecological connectivity was first proposed by Merriam, which is a measure of the comprehensive effect of species characteristics and landscape structure on population movement in a certain area. Through a specific ecological process, some biological sub groups in the landscape interact to form an organic whole. Forman and Gordon define it as "a measurement index to describe how corridors or matrices in the landscape connect and continue", emphasizing the importance of connectivity measurement in specific landscape components. Later, Taylor further believed that connectivity was the extent to which the landscape promoted (or hindered) the movement of resource patches. Considering the impact of the overall landscape on the broader ecological processes (flows), the application scope of connectivity was expanded. Chen Liding and Fu Berger proposed that connectivity is affected by landscape elements and their spatial distribution patterns, ecological processes, research purposes and objects, and is a relative measure of the smoothness of ecological processes in landscape elements. In general, ecological connectivity includes structural connectivity and functional connectivity. For example, the latest review of Kindlmann and Burel also introduces connectivity into the above two aspects, comprehensively reflecting the landscape structure and functional characteristics.

Edited and translated by Zhang Yifei