Functional models and extending strategies for ecological networks

Complex network analysis is rising as an essential tool to understand properties of ecological landscape networks, and as an aid to land management. The most common methods to build graph models of ecological networks are based on representing functional connectivity with respect to a target species. This has provided good results, but the lack of a model able to capture general properties of the network may be seen as a shortcoming when the activity involves the proposal for modifications in land use. Similarity scores, calculated between nature protection areas, may act as a building block for a graph model intended to carry a higher degree of generality. The present work compares several design choices for similarity-based graphs, in order to determine which is most suitable for use in land management

Modeling and extending ecological networks using land similarity

Complex network analysis is being applied on topological models of ecological networks, to extrapolate their advanced properties and as part of the activity of land management. Commonly employed methods tend to focus on single target species. This is satisfactory for cognitive analysis, but the limited view provided by these models results in a lack of general information needed for land planning. Similarity scores computed for pairs of nature protection areas are proposed as a building block of a general model to address this shortcoming