Importance of spatial configuration of deadwood habitats in species conservation

Abstract

Komonen and Müller (2018) aimed to inform connectivity conservation of saproxylic (deadwood-dependent) organisms. Out of the many different definitions of connectivity, they focus on structural connectivity and relate it to dispersal ability, concluding that spatial configuration of habitat is of little importance in conservation of saproxylic organisms. Komonen and Müller also point out it would be better to measure connectivity as dispersal success or search time, but they did not include such studies in their review, probably because of the small number of studies in which these measures are compared between landscapes. Their focus on dispersal ability and the measures they used to quantify this ability strongly limits the conclusions that can be drawn about the importance of spatial configuration of habitat to population persistence. We think it is vital to include a broader range of relevant knowledge when drawing general conclusions about the importance of spatial configuration of habitat on the outcome of conservation strategies. Therefore, we considered the effect of spatial configuration of habitat on colonization, extinction, and occupancy, which are major factors in nature conservation because they affect long-term persistence.