Separating the effects of habitat area, fragmentation, and matrix resistance on genetic differentation in complex landscapes .

Synopsis: This paper aimed to quantify the relative importance of habitat area and configuration, as well as the contrast in resistance between habitat and non-habitat, on genetic differentiation patterns. Using spatially explicit, individual-based simulation modeling, researchers found that habitat configuration had stronger relationships with genetic differentiation than did habitat area. The pattern of habitat in a landscape will affect the distribution of the population and the degree of connectivity across it, resulting in differential patterns of gene flow. Researchers also evaluated the predictive ability of six widely used landscape metrics and found that patch cohesion and correlation length of habitat are among the strongest [...]