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Population viability impacts of habitat additions and subtractions: A simulation experiment with endangered kangaroo rats
Citation:
Heinrichs, J. A., D. Bender, D. Gummer, AND N. H. SCHUMAKER. Population viability impacts of habitat additions and subtractions: A simulation experiment with endangered kangaroo rats. Presented at IALE, Madison, WI, April 06 - 10, 2008.
Impact/Purpose:
Species viability is influenced by the quality, quantity and configuration of habitat.
Description:
Species viability is influenced by the quality, quantity and configuration of habitat. For species at risk, a principal challenge is to identify landscape configurations that, if realized, would improve a population’s viability or restoration potential. Critical habitat patches emerge from such analyses as features that desirable landscape configurations tend to have in common. We present here a novel approach for identifying critical habitat patches, using Canada’s endangered Ord’s kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ordii) as a case study. Natural habitat for the species consists of actively-eroding sand dunes; however, kangaroo rats also use disturbed sandy areas (typically roadsides) which are hypothesized to be population sinks. Our study employed a spatially explicit population model to integrate information on kangaroo rat habitat quality, quantity, and configuration with survival and reproduction estimates. We then used iterative patch addition and removal experiments to generate estimates of the contribution of individual patches to overall population viability. Results will be presented on the relative roles of habitat quality and quantity in our case study system, as well as the successes and shortcomings of this approach for identifying critical habitat elements.