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Gardner, R. H. and E. J. Gustafson. 2004. Simulating dispersal of reintroduced species within heterogeneous landscapes. Ecological Modeling 171, pp. 339-358. In a Nutshell: Problem - Changes in landscape pattern can potentially affect the dispersal success of reintroduced species, such as the American marten. What - An individual-based, spatially explicit model was used to evaluate our understanding of the effect of landscape heterogeneity of suitable habitat, energy resources, and predation on dispersal success. Findings - Results show that dispersal success was directly related to food availability and indirectly related to predation risk. The pattern of suitable habitat also determines dispersal success, but the idiosyncratic characteristics of each landscape requires that patterns be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Potential Applications - Case studies can be performed to evaluate effects of landscape alterations on reintroduced populations. Illustrations are developed for reintroduced populations of the American marten. |
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