Landscape connectivity among remnant populations of guanaco (Lama guanicoe Muller, 1776) in an arid region of Chile impacted by global change.

ABSTRACT: Connectivity between populations plays a key role in the long-term persistence of species in fragmented habitats. This is of particular concern for biodiversity preservation in drylands, since water limited landscapes are typically characterized by little suitable habitat cover, high habitat fragmentation, harsh matrices, and are being rapidly degraded at a global scale. In this study, we modelled landscape connectivity between 11 guanaco Lama guanicoe populations in Chile's arid Norte Chico, a region that supports the last remnant coastal populations of this emblematic herbivore indigenous to South America. We produced a habitat suitability model to derive a regional surface resistance map, and used circuit theory to map functional connectivity, investigate the relative isolation b

SUBMITTER: Espinosa MI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5836568 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature