Plant dispersal traits determine hydrochorous species tolerance to connectivity loss at the landscape scale

摘要

Aims Landscape fragmentation has strong negative consequences on biodiversity. In networks of linear elements, connectivity loss results in a decreased length of connected elements and increased potential barriers, directly impacting the ability of plants to disperse. However, species vary in their tolerance to connectivity loss, likely due to differences in dispersal strategies. We investigated whether species tolerance to decreased ditch network connectivity is determined by seed traits. We selected, as a case study, water-dispersed plant species in a ditch network.