![]() ![]() ![]() Model selection based on Akaike's information criterion identified edge-sensitivity as the best correlate of vulnerability to fragmentation. ![]() After phylogenetic correction, these variables were used separately and in combination to assess their association with two indices of fragmentation sensitivity, species prevalence (proportion of islands occupied) as well as an index of change in abundance. We derived a series of explanatory variables from our capture data and from the literature: (1) natural abundance in continuous forest, (2) body mass, (3) trophic level, (4) dietary specialization, (5) vertical stratification, (6) edge-sensitivity, (7) mobility, (8) wing morphology (aspect ratio and relative wing loading) and (9) ecologically scaled landscape indices ( ESLIs). We compare hypotheses on the causes of interspecific differences in fragmentation sensitivity using distribution and abundance data collected on 23 species of Neotropical bats.īats were captured over a 2-year period on 11 land-bridge islands in Gatún Lake, Panama, and on the adjacent mainland. In the face of widespread human-induced habitat fragmentation, identification of those ecological characteristics that render some species more vulnerable to fragmentation than others is vital for understanding, predicting and mitigating the effects of habitat alteration on biodiversity. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |