Abstract:
In this study, five methods were used to assess connectivity between New Zealand marine reserves. These were: (1) simple distance by sea; (2) species presence similarity; (3) species range overlaps; (4) habitat similarity; and (5) propagule dispersal via ocean currents. In the process, the strengths and limitations of each metric were identified, performances at different spatial and temporal scales were evaluated, and the degrees of correlation between measures were investigated. Methods based on models and maps showed more stable results than empirical methods which lacked sufficient data. The measures exhibited stronger correlations with each other at a broad geographic scale than in smaller scales. The findings in this study suggest that each measure provides a different perspective of connectivity and a combination of measures will provide better insights about the whole picture of connectivity.