Connectivity models using empirically-derived
landscape resistance maps can predict potential
linkages among fragmented animal and plant populations.
However, such models have rarely been used to
guide systematic decision-making, such as identifying
the most important habitat patches and dispersal corridors
to protect or restore in order to maximize regional
connectivity. Combining...
Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) were not known to live on Tiburón Island, the largest island in the Gulf of California and
Mexico, prior to the surprisingly successful introduction of 20 individuals as a conservation measure in 1975. Today, a stable
island population of ~500 sheep supports limited big game hunting...
Climate change is arguably the greatest challenge to conservation of our time. Most vulnerability assessments rely on past and current species distributions to predict future persistence but ignore species’ abilities to disperse through landscapes, which may be particularly important in fragmented habitats and crucial for long-term persistence in changing environments....
Although climate acts as a fundamental constraint on the distribution of
organisms, understanding how this relationship between climate and distribution varies over a
species’ range is critical for addressing the potential impacts of accelerated climate change on
biodiversity. Bioclimatic niche models provide compelling evidence that many species will
experience range...
Apex predators have experienced catastrophic declines throughout the world as a result of human persecution and habitat loss. These collapses in
top predator populations are commonly associated with dramatic increases in the abundance of smaller predators. Known as “mesopredator release,”
this trophic interaction has been recorded across a range of...