Question

If we consider the areas within 100 m of forest to cropland edge as the edge habitat, which of the following patch has the the highest proportion of interior habitat??

a. a circular patch 25 ha in size

b. a rectangle patch 100 ha in size (500 m by 2000 m)

c. a circular patch 100 ha in size

d. a rectangle patch 25 ha in size (200 m by 1250 m)

Answer 1

Option C, a circular patch 100 ha in size, has the highest proportion of interior habitat.

Step-by-step explanation:

In order to determine which patch has the highest proportion of interior habitat, we need to compare the shapes and sizes of the given patches. The key concept here is that an interior habitat refers to the portion of a patch that is far away from the edges and surrounded by the patch itself.

Therefore, the patch with the highest proportion of interior habitat would be the one with the least amount of edge, which is more likely to be a circular shape.

Looking at the given options, we can see that both options A and C are circular patches, but option C is bigger in size (100 ha) compared to option A (25 ha). Since a larger circular patch is more likely to have a higher proportion of interior habitat, option C, a circular patch 100 ha in size, would have the highest proportion of interior habitat.