Published in ERW, 19 Jan 2015
Researchers in Australia and Sweden have used graph theory to show that the connectivity of aquatic habitats in the Swan Coastal Plain – a global biodiversity hotspot – has fallen over the past 13 years. The study reveals which bodies of water function as vital “stepping stones” to connect other habitats, and highlights the potential importance of the analysis technique for conservation.
Graph theory is a mathematical tool that enables scientists to explore the changing relationships between different objects and groups of objects. It’s been used for more than a century in fields such as mathematics, social science and engineering, yet has been applied to ecology only relatively recently to understand the potential for organisms to move from one habitat to another. Most ecological applications of graph theory have focused on static networks; few have looked at those that change naturally over time. […]
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