EVALUATING SPATIAL PATTERN OF WILDLIFE HABITAT - A CASE-STUDY OF THE WILD TURKEY (MELEAGRIS-GALLOPAVO)

The evaluation of the spatial configuration of habitat is often difficult due to large geographic areas to be evaluated and the subjective nature of spatial pattern assessment. Habitat quality for wild turkey populations has a spatial component related to the arrangement of habitat elements across large geographic areas. Indices of habitat fragmentation were used to quantitatively describe the components of habitat assessment now evaluated subjectively by experienced wild turkey biologists, including a proximity index that distinguishes isolated forest patches from those that are part of a cluster of forest patches. These indices were used to mathematically classify landscapes into discrete quality categories and the classifications were compared to subjective assessments made by experienced turkey biologists. Mathematical classifications of landscapes agreed with expert judgment when the proximity index and proportion of forest were used to characterize the spatial pattern of forest habitat. None of the indices alone were adequate to correctly classify all test landscape samples. Mean values of the indices were compared between study areas of different quality as wild turkey habitat. Study areas of optimal and suboptimal quality were more different from each other than were suboptimal and poor study sites. The proximity index is a valuable quantitative measure of habitat spatial pattern that provides information related to subjective, expert assessment of landscape suitability for use by wild turkeys. These quantitative measures add objectivity to the assessment of the spatial components of wild turkey habitat, and provide additional information that can be used to help identify the best potential turkey release sites. These methods can be extended to the evaluation of the spatial distribution of habitat for other wildlife species, and can provide quantitative spatial information for hypothesis testing.