Borealis
Jurek, Kolasa
—
2024-10-04
The purpose of this data set was to aid in testing hypotheses about the role of habitat fragmentation on biodiversity. The common view is that habitat fragmentation leads to decreased species diversity. Some observations and theoretical considerations leave other options open that need material investigation. Modeling the complex processes is one of the approaches.
The data set contains the output of a metacommunity (a collection of species communities connected by dispersal) object-based NetLogo model simulating biodiversity dynamics in landscapes consisting of habitat patches of three different sizes. Landscapes with small, medium, and large virtual patches were inoculated with 50 species of different traits. The patches differed in their suitability for the species, and species were limited to the range of habitats they could use. Their subsequent dynamics over 500 generations (model steps) led to some species surviving and some going extinct. Most variables used random values for patch location, its suitability value, species specialization, reproduction, and movement. The simulations were replicated ten times for each landscape type. The number of surviving species after 500 generations served as input data for answering questions about which habitat type supported species diversity best and under what circumstances. In addition to the number of species, the model kept track of the population sizes, number of species in different habitat types, and species types classified by their ecological specialization. Specifically, the data are organized in seven variables with 150 rows: three landscapes * five habitat suitability categories * ten replicates. For each habitat suitability class, the variables contain a total number of individuals of all species, the number of species present in each habitat class, and a mean connectivity among all the patches in a landscape. The data set also provides the NetLogo code for the simulation and information on how to use it, including publications with more details.