ecological connectivity

In ecology, we can measure how much a patch of habitat for a given species (like a forest surrounded by fields) is connected to other habitat patches from it, meaning how easy it is for an individual of this species to move to another patch. The greater the distance between the patches, or the more dangerous and difficult to traverse the terrain between them is for this species, the less connected they are. We can also measure the connectivity of an entire landscape, describing how easy it is for individuals of the species to move between the many patches of habitat the landscape contain. In the case of forests, we can measure how easy it is for tree species to propagate from one area of forest to the other, helping forests recover after a disturbance if they are near other forests that contain a diverse assemblage of tree species.