What determines “suitable habitat” for metapopulation studies? An analysis of environmental gradients and species assemblages in xeric forest openings

Abstract

The distinction between suitable and unsuitable habitat for some plant species may depend on a few variables, which may not be consistent between sites. This distinction means that there are potentially more situations than previously thought that metapopulation and metacommunity theory may be capable of explaining, meaning that more systems can be studied using a metapopulation context than previously thought.