Definition of Connectivity
It is
called connectivity to the ability to establish a connection :
a communication link. The concept often refers to the availability of a
device to be connected to another or a network.
In the field
of computing , the connectivity of a computer (computer) is given by
its ability to connect to a network such as the Internet or other
equipment and peripherals.
A computer can have WiFi , USB , PS
/ 2 and FireWire connectivity , for example: this means that the
computer in question can be connected through the aforementioned technologies.
It is
important to distinguish between this concept and the connection :
while connectivity remains the same throughout the life of a device until its
parts are updated or improved, the connections begin and end, and within the
same context (making use of the same network of equipment with
invariable connectivity) may have different characteristics each time.
For example,
with the same mobile phone, whose connectivity is always the same, we establish
many connections throughout the week and the results are usually very
variable, whether due to the presence of humidity in the air, storms or force
of the wind. The idea of wireless
connectivity refers to communications that are established
without
cables . In this way, the sender and receiver are not linked through
a physical medium, but appeal to waves that travel through space. A cell
phone (mobile), to name a case, can connect to another using Bluetooth technology .
This
way you can send information from one computer to another without using cables. The concept
of ecological connectivity , on the other hand, refers to the ability
of a population to establish a relationship with specimens from
another population in fragmented terrain. It can also
be spoken of landscape connectivity . In this case, the notion
is related to the spatial arrangement and makes mention of how a landscape is
structured.
It is possible to differentiate between functional
connectivity(centered on what influence the landscape exerts in the
distribution of individuals) and structural connectivity (how the
various elements that make up the landscape are organized in
space ). With respect
to the advantages offered by landscape connectivity, we can say that it gives
organisms the possibility of migrating from one place to another,
something that favors the colonization of new parts and reduces the chances of
existing populations becoming extinct, thanks to which new individuals arrive
who come from other territories.
The landscape
connectivity also reduces the difficulty of the movement of the fauna
throughout its biological cycles, giving them the possibility of finding new
places in which to reproduce, take refuge and feed themselves . Similarly,
it reduces the
isolation of different populations, which
prevents inbreeding (reproduction between individuals sharing the
same ancestry) and genetic drift (an alteration in the frequency of
the alleles, with the consequent change in the genetic diversity of a
population).
Another
advantage that emerges from landscape connectivity is that the extinction
probabilities
of the species involved decrease considerably due to the issues discussed above,
as well as the potential sensitivity to certain diseases. Of course, landscape
connectivity also has some disadvantages. In the first place, at
the same time that the individuals of a community move from one place to
another, they can take with them certain diseases , and disperse them
in the new territories. Something similar occurs with pests and invasive
species, which move indirectly and upon arrival they begin their destructive
action.