Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2026
06:03
A Push-pull Protocol to Reduce Colonization of Bird Nest Boxes by Honey Bees
Published on: September 4, 2016
How corridors reduce indigo bunting nest success
1Department of Zoology, Box 7617, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7617, USA. aweldon@audubon.org
Summary
Wildlife corridors can increase nest predation in connected habitats, contrary to popular belief. This study reveals that corridors may negatively impact animal populations due to increased edge effects, particularly in fragments with lower edge-to-area ratios.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Conservation Biology
- Wildlife Management
Background:
- Habitat fragmentation is a major threat to biodiversity.
- Wildlife corridors are widely used to connect fragmented habitats and facilitate gene flow.
- Previous research has not identified negative impacts of corridors on wildlife populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the hypothesis that wildlife corridors increase nest predation rates in connected habitat fragments.
- To investigate the relationship between corridor presence, habitat fragment shape, and nest predation.
- To provide empirical evidence on the potential negative effects of corridors on animal populations.
Main Methods:
- A large-scale field experiment was conducted using open-habitat fragments.
- Fragments varied in shape and connectivity, with some connected by corridors and others isolated.
- Nest predation rates were compared between connected and unconnected fragments.
Main Results:
- Corridors significantly increased nest predation rates in connected fragments compared to unconnected ones, especially those with lower edge-to-area ratios.
- Nest predation rates were comparable between connected and unconnected fragments with higher edge-to-area ratios.
- The increased predation in connected fragments was attributed to edge effects from corridor addition.
Conclusions:
- This study provides the first empirical evidence that wildlife corridors can negatively impact animal populations.
- Edge effects associated with corridors can increase predator activity and subsequent nest predation.
- Conservation strategies using corridors should consider potential negative consequences, particularly regarding fragment shape and size.
Related Concept Videos
02:07Conservation of Declining Populations
Conservation of declining population focuses on ways of detecting, diagnosing, and halting a population decline. The approach uses methods to prevent populations from going extinct.
02:31Habitat Fragmentation
Habitat fragmentation describes the division of a more extensive, continuous habitat into smaller, discontinuous areas. Human activities such as land conversion, as well as slower geological processes leading to changes in the physical environment, are the two leading causes of habitat fragmentation. The fragmentation process typically follows the same steps: perforation, dissection, fragmentation, shrinkage, and attrition.
01:17Understanding Species and Reproductive Barriers
A species is a group of organisms that interbreed and produce fertile offspring. Typically, individuals of the same species appear similar and share common characteristics due to their highly similar genomes. However, not all organisms that look alike are members of the same species. Various mechanisms keep most species discrete. While some mechanisms prevent reproductive behavior and fertilization (pre-zygotic isolation), others prevent the production of fertile offspring after mating has...
01:50Threats to Biodiversity
There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...
00:55Parental Care
Many animals exhibit parental care behavior, including feeding, grooming, and protecting young offspring. Parental care is universal in mammals and birds, which often have young that are born relatively helpless. Several species of insects and fish, as well as some amphibians, also care for their young.
02:40Pollination and Flower Structure
Flowers are the reproductive, seed-producing structures of angiosperms. Typically, flowers consist of sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels. Sepals and petals are the vegetative flower organs. Stamens and carpels are the reproductive organs.