Connectivity is the ability to establish connections.
Connectivity is called the ability to establish a connection : a communication, a link. The concept usually refers to the availability of a device to be connected to another or to a network.
In the field of computing , the connectivity of a computer is given by its ability to connect to a network such as the Internet or to 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.
Difference between connectivity and connection
It is important to distinguish between this concept and that of connection : while connectivity remains the same throughout the life of a device until its parts are updated or improved, connections begin and end, and within the same context (making use of the same network of equipment with invariable connectivities) 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 tend to be very variable, whether due to the presence of humidity in the air, storms or the force wind.
Wireless communications
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 instead appeal to waves that travel through space.
A cell phone (mobile), for example, can connect with another using Bluetooth technology. This way information can be sent from one device to another without using cables.
Landscape connectivity is related to how the structuring of a landscape is developed.
Landscape connectivity
One can also talk about landscape connectivity . In this case, the notion is related to the spatial layout and refers to how a landscape is structured. It is interesting to mention that the concept of ecological connectivity , on the other hand, refers to the ability of a population to establish a relationship with specimens of another population in a fragmented terrain.
It is possible to differentiate between functional landscape connectivity (focused on what influence the landscape exerts on the distribution of individuals) and structural landscape connectivity (how the various elements that make up the landscape are organized in space ).
Benefits of this type of spatial arrangement
Regarding the benefits 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 when new individuals arrive from other territories.
Landscape connectivity also reduces the difficulty of moving fauna throughout their biological cycles, giving them the possibility of finding new places in which to reproduce, shelter and feed . Similarly, it reduces the isolation of different populations, which prevents inbreeding (reproduction between individuals who share the same ancestry) and genetic drift (an alteration in the frequency of alleles, with the consequent change in the genetic diversity of a population).
Another advantage that arises from landscape connectivity is that the probabilities of extinction of the species involved decrease considerably due to the issues explained above, as well as the potential sensitivity to certain diseases.
Disadvantages of landscape connectivity
Of course, landscape connectivity also has some disadvantages. Firstly, at the same time that individuals in a community move from one place to another, they can carry certain diseases with them, and disperse them to new territories.
Something similar occurs with pests and invasive species, which move indirectly and upon arrival begin their destructive action.