When Good Animals Love Bad Habitats: Ecological Traps and the Conservation of Animal Populations

摘要: The concept of the ecological trap, a low-quality habitat that animals prefer over other available habitats higher quality, has appeared in literature irregularly for 30 years, but topic received relatively little attention, and evidence traps remains largely anecdotal. Recently, however, trap been subject flurry theoretical activity is likely to raise its profile substantially, particularly conservation biology. Ecological theory suggests that, under most circumstances, presence landscape will drive local population extinction. A number empirical studies, almost all birds, suggest existence demonstrate difficulties recognizing them field. Evidence primarily found modified by human activities, either directly (e.g., through mowing grassland birds' nests) or indirectly via human-mediated invasion exotic species), some studies may occur even pristine areas. Taken together, these results be common rapidly changing landscapes. It therefore important biologists able identify differentiate from sinks. Commonly employed approaches modeling, which tend assume source-sink framework do not consider selection explicitly, introduce faulty assumptions mask effects lead overly optimistic predictions about persistence. Given potentially dire consequences accumulating their existence, greater attention community warranted. In particular, it managers incorporate into planning an explicit understanding relationship between quality.