Invasion of Matrix Species in Small Habitat Patches

Conservation Ecology: Invasion of Matrix Species in Small Habitat Patches

The diversity, expressed as species richness in equal-sized samples, of wood-living beetles in successional stages of deciduous forest after forest fires approximately 100 years ago did not differ between patch sizes in this study. Thus, the crucial question for conservation is whether the lack of reduction in diversity in small patches means that a number of small patches can elevate the regio...

Populations in small, ephemeral habitat patches may drive dynamics in a Daphnia magna metapopulation.

Migration is the key process to understand the dynamics and persistence of a metapopulation. Many metapopulation models assume a positive correlation between habitat patch size or stability and the number of emigrants. However, few empirical data exist, and habitat patch size and habitat stability may affect dispersal differently than they affect local persistence. Here, we studied the producti...

Species–area relationship within benthic habitat patches of a tropical floodplain river: An experimental test

The curvilinear relationship between species richness and habitat area (species–area relationship (SAR)) is a fundamental ecological pattern. The relationship is often viewed from a long-term perspective across relatively large spatial scales, reflecting a balance between immigration and extinction dynamics. We explored whether predictions of SAR also manifest over short time periods (days) in ...

Interactive effects of habitat modification and species invasion on native species decline.

Different components of global environmental change are often studied and managed independently, but mounting evidence points towards complex non-additive interaction effects between drivers of native species decline. Using the example of interactions between land-use change and biotic exchange, we develop an interpretive framework that will enable global change researchers to identify and disc...

Effects of habitat loss, habitat configuration and matrix composition on declining wetland species