I have a mad scientist idea. It goes like this: develop a neutral virus that easily spreads through indirect contact. This virus resides in the gut, and is present in fecal samples. You then release it into one of your study populations, and track how it disperses through the metapopulation. This, my friends, would be an excellent way to track connectivity (AND epidemiology).

Until somebody develops that, if you’re interested in assessing habitat connectivity, I believe the only way to do so is through a combination of genetic distance and least cost path analysis. Here‘s a recent paper from Landscape Ecology that made me think of it, and here‘s a Brashares-lab alum’s work on connectivity and bighorn sheep, one of the first such studies conducted.

Wang, Y. et al. Habitat suitability modeling to correlate gene flow with landscape connectivity. Landscape Ecology, In Press. (doi: 10.1007/s10980-008-9262-3)

Epps, C. et al. Optimizing dispersal and corridor models using landscape genetics. Journal of Applied Ecology, 44:4. (doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2007.01325.x)

Paul Beier gave the keynote this morning and talked about his work in southern California working on connectivity issues for wildlife (originally and mostly mountain lions / cougars / pumas / catamounts). He spoke, of course, about the importance of maintaining connectivity among wildlands — none of the mountain ranges in the Los Angeles area are big enough on their own to sustain mountain lion populations — and the utility of involving key stakeholders, etc. But the most important thing, to me, was his final slide. He showed a picture where four highways, a railroad, the California aqueduct, and high-voltage power lines all crossed, and then pointed out that above them all stood a key wildlife corridor. He indirectly suggested that in highly-disturbed environments we push for “greenness” to be considered an element of our infrastructure. This is the sort of mental jui-jitsu that can succeed in pulling in important governmental agencies in working towards and responsible for conservation. Convincing Caltrans (which Beier’s done!) to participate in conservation programs is a brilliant way of increasing the number of stakeholders.

Need a review (or introduction) to measures of connectivity? You’re in luck!