Data from: Landscape Corridors (LSCorridors): a new software package for modeling ecological corridors based on landscape patterns and species requirements

1.Maintaining connectivity is one of the main challenges for biodiversity conservation worldwide. Ecological corridors are important to maintain landscape connectivity, but their efficiency depends on landscape patterns and species responses at different spatial extents and landscape contexts. 2.We developed a new ecologically oriented free software package, LandScape Corridors (LSCorridors), to improve ecological corridor design by considering biodiversity responses to landscape attributes at a variety of spatial extents. LSCorridors considers stochastic variation, species perception and landscape influence on organisms in the design of ecological corridors. In addition to the least cost path algorithm, we propose four different methods for the simulation of multiple-path functional ecological corridors. One method uses the information for each pixel separately whereas the three other methods permit corridor simulation considering the landscape context at different spatial extents. 3.LSCorridors permits to simulate corridors for species with different requirements and considers that different species perceive and respond to the surrounding landscape in different ways, as many species may choose to move through areas that may not be the most permeable ones in the landscape. Two parameters in LSCorridors modulate the stochasticity in corridors simulations. The first parameter is the level of variability added to the input resistance map in each simulation, resulting in more variable and spatially spread-out corridors. The other parameter is the spatial extent that may influence each pixel; larger extents result in larger spatial zones affecting each pixel during corridors simulations. Additionally, when considering spatial influence, the simulations may be performed for species highly, medially or less sensitive to habitat quality. 4.Some currently available software are not free or depend on a paid GIS software to work. In addition, some software do not support large matrices in their simulations, limiting their use. LSCorridors is designed to deal with large rasters, is based on strictly freeware software, and is freely available online. This allows the users to implement new methods for modeling multi-scale and ecologically-based corridors. 5.LSCorridors is a potential tool for the identification of protected areas, as corridor simulation considers species movement and landscape connectivity, essential characteristics to aid in large-scale biodiversity conservation, especially in anthropogenic landscapes. LSCorridors provides what we may call a zone for conservation, showing a set of connected areas in the landscape which may be ordered according to their potential for ecological corridors or which may be used as an aid for conservation strategies or ecological restoration projects.1. 维持景观连通性是全球生物多样性保护面临的核心挑战之一。生态廊道对维持景观连通性至关重要，但其效能取决于不同空间尺度与景观背景下的景观格局及物种响应。 2. 本研究开发了一款面向生态学的免费开源软件包LandScape Corridors（LSCorridors），旨在通过考量不同空间尺度下物种对景观属性的响应，优化生态廊道设计。LSCorridors在生态廊道设计流程中纳入了随机变异、物种感知及景观对生物个体的影响机制。除最小成本路径算法外，本研究还提出了四种可模拟多路径功能性生态廊道的方法：其中一种方法仅单独利用单个像素的信息，其余三种方法则支持在不同空间尺度下结合景观背景开展廊道模拟。 3. LSCorridors可针对具有不同生存需求的物种模拟生态廊道，并考虑到不同物种对周边景观的感知与响应方式存在差异——多数物种会选择穿越景观中渗透性并非最优的区域。该软件内置两个参数以调控廊道模拟过程中的随机性：第一个参数用于为每次模拟中的输入阻力面添加变异程度，以此生成变异程度更高、空间分布更弥散的廊道；第二个参数用于调控影响单个像素的空间尺度，尺度越大则廊道模拟阶段影响单个像素的空间范围越广。此外，在考虑空间影响效应时，模拟可针对对生境质量高度敏感、中度敏感或低度敏感的物种开展。 4. 当前部分可用软件并非开源免费，或依赖付费地理信息系统(GIS)软件运行；另有部分软件无法支持大型矩阵模拟，限制了其应用场景。LSCorridors专为处理大型栅格数据设计，基于完全开源的软件框架开发，且可在线免费获取，这使得用户能够开发多尺度生态学导向的廊道建模新方法。 5. LSCorridors可作为识别保护优先区域的潜在工具：其廊道模拟过程纳入了物种移动与景观连通性这两大支撑大规模生物多样性保护的关键特征，尤其适用于受人为干扰的景观。LSCorridors可输出所谓的“保护优先区”，即景观中一系列连通区域，可依据其生态廊道潜力进行排序，或用于辅助制定保护策略与生态修复方案。