Effect of habitat amount, configuration and quality in fragmented landscapes

摘要: Abstract Landscape changes are driven by several factors, such as habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation. Untangling the independent contribution of each process is crucial, since effective conservation actions depend on clear identification threatening process. Nevertheless in most landscape scale studies configuration metrics often grouped together without further distinguishing between different properties (e.g. subdivision vs scatteredness patches) furthermore few have included measurements quality thus possibly overlooking important interactions with structure. In order to tackle these issues we carried out a large field study following an experimental design that allowed us disentangle role processes. We chose European reed warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) model species due its ecological characteristics. Probability presence increased landscapes increasing amounts proportion flooded bed patches landscape; variables related habitat, instead, did not play relevant shaping distribution patterns. Results modelling inference revealed crucial complementarity structure: regulation amount water canals suitability only for intermediate habitat.