ABSTRACT
Ecologists have developed a rich body of research describing the consequences of spatial heterogeneity for ecological dynamics. Starting with McArthur and Willson’s ‘equilibrium theory of island biogeography’, this research emphasizes the role of connectivity and fragmentation in determining ecosystem dynamics through the process of dispersal. Given the fundamental importance of dispersal and connectivity to population and community dynamics, changes in landscape-level spatial structure (composition and configuration), such as via habitat loss and fragmentation, are likely to have deleterious effects. Conservation biologists have sought to understand how ecosystems respond to these changes and how best to reinstate connectivity through, for example, interventions such as wildlife corridors. In this chapter, we summarize the extensive body of research concerned with population and community dynamics in spatially structured ecosystems, touching on (i) the conceptual basis of metapopulation, metacommunity, and metaecosystem theory and their relationship to island biogeography, (ii) how landscape ecologists have sought to quantify and measure connectivity, (iii) parallel developments in movement ecology and associated bio-telemetric technology, and (iv) the applications of this broad body of research to landscape-level conservation management.
