Effects of Landscape Corridors on Seed Dispersal by Birds

• DOI: 10.1126/science.1111479
• Publication Date: 2005-07-01T02:40:58Z
• Authors: Douglas J. Levey; Benjamin M. Bolker; Joshua J. Tewksbury; Sarah Sargent; Nick M. Haddad
• Keywords: Fragmentation; Habitat Fragmentation; Wildlife corridor

Habitat fragmentation threatens biodiversity by disrupting dispersal. The mechanisms and consequences of this disruption are controversial, primarily because most organisms difficult to track. We examined the effect habitat corridors on long-distance dispersal seeds birds, tested whether small-scale (<20 meters) movements birds could be scaled up predict across hundreds meters in eight experimentally fragmented landscapes. A simulation model accurately predicted observed pattern seed rain revealed that functioned through edge-following behavior birds. Our study shows how models based easily behaviors can landscape-level processes.