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ENV510 Landscape Ecology and GIS
Definitions
& descriptions |
Structure & pattern |
Function
& process | Change
& dynamics | Management
implications
Structure
| Features
| Patches
| Matrix
| Corridors
| Characteristics | Pros
& Cons | Scale
| Types | Measurements
| Appearance | Complexity
A key characteristic
of corridors is connectivity. Connectivity
is the measure of how connected or spatially continuous a corridor is. Corridors
and connectivity are important for initiating movement of species between patches
and between patches and the matrix.
Corridors
have a defined microclimate
and soil gradients exist from one side of the corridor to the other.
The wider
the corridor the more interior
species there are. The narrower the corridor the more it is influenced
by edge
species.
Corridors are easily identified in heavily disturbed landscapes. They are less visible in structurally more complex landscapes, eg where there is a gradation of change in vegetation across the landscape rather then a defined patch structure.
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