Protecting wildlife movement corridors is critical for species conservation. Urban planning often aims to create corridors for animal movement through conservation initiatives. However, research on connectivity for urban wildlife is limited. Here, we assessed connectivity for coyotes (Canis latrans) dynamically across temporal scales and demographic traits, parametrized using the habitat selection of 27 global positioning system (GPS)-collared coyotes in the city of Toronto, Canada. The habitat selection models accounted for human population density, impervious area, vegetation density, and distance to different linear features. Results indicated that (1) vegetation-dense areas were key for connectivity in urban areas; (2) riverbanks, railways, and areas below power lines were predicted as movement corridors; and (3) commercial and industrial clusters strongly disrupted connectivity. Spatiotemporal differences in connectivity were associated with time of day and coyote social status but not with climate and biological seasonality or coyote age and sex. Residential roads were pivotal in the temporal dynamism of connectivity. The maintenance and enhancement of plant structural complexity along key infrastructure (for example, highways, waterways, and parking lots) should be considered when managing connectivity corridors in cities.

中文翻译：

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大都市地区陆地捕食者的动态连通性评估

保护野生动物迁徙走廊对于物种保护至关重要。城市规划通常旨在通过保护举措创建动物活动走廊。然而，关于城市野生动物连通性的研究有限。在这里，我们动态评估了郊狼 ( Canis latrans ) 在时间尺度和人口特征上的连通性，并使用加拿大多伦多市 27 只佩戴全球定位系统 (GPS) 项圈的郊狼的栖息地选择进行了参数化。栖息地选择模型考虑了人口密度、不渗透面积、植被密度以及到不同线性特征的距离。结果表明：（1）植被密集区是城市地区连通性的关键；（2）河岸、铁路、电力线以下区域被预测为运动走廊；(3)商业和工业集群严重扰乱了连通性。连接性的时空差异与一天中的时间和土狼的社会地位有关，但与气候和生物季节性或土狼的年龄和性别无关。住宅区道路在连通性的时间动态中至关重要。在管理城市连通走廊时，应考虑维护和增强关键基础设施（例如高速公路、水道和停车场）沿线工厂结构的复杂性。