 Connected fragmented habitats facilitate stable coexistence dynamicsIstvan Karsai and George Kampis Ecological Modelling, 2011, vol. 222, issue 3, 447-455 Abstract: In this paper we endeavor to test the controversial ideas that exist about the role of fragmentation in a conservation context. In line with earlier understanding, we find that habitat fragmentation alone results in a strong detrimental effect (especially for the predator population). Connecting the fragmented habitats facilitates predator survival and hence prey survival as compared to the unconnected fragmented case. Our main result is counterintuitive: in the presence of a high quality predator, connected fragmented habitats ensure a better chance for coexistence than does even the unfragmented case. We explain why a connected fragmented habitat might thus be beneficial for the stabilization of the system, and how connections between sub-habitats are able to protect prey population from over-exploitation. In the model, habitat fragmentation is separated from the effects of habitat destruction, in order to better understand how populations react to habitat transformation. Keywords: Wildlife corridors; Habitat fragmentation; Prey–predator system; Individual based model (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecomod:v:222:y:2011:i:3:p:447-455 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2010.11.002 Access Statistics for this article Ecological Modelling is currently edited by Brian D. Fath More articles in Ecological Modelling from Elsevier |
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