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Related Concept Videos

Habitat Fragmentation02:31

Habitat 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.
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  3. Habitat Fragmentation Can Either Increase Or Decrease With Habitat Loss.
  1. Home
  3. Habitat Fragmentation Can Either Increase Or Decrease With Habitat Loss.

Related Experiment Video

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity
08:16

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity

Published on: March 13, 2014

Habitat fragmentation can either increase or decrease with habitat loss.

Amanda E Martin1,2, Carmen Galán-Acedo2, Federico Riva3

  • 1Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Ottawa, ON Canada.

Landscape Ecology
|May 25, 2026

View abstract on PubMed

Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Forest loss does not always increase habitat fragmentation. In a global study, forests became less fragmented after loss 44% of the time, highlighting the need to study fragmentation effects separately from habitat amount.

Keywords:
Forest fragmentation indexFragmentation per seFragmented landscapeLandscape configurationLandscape fragmentationLandscape pattern

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Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity
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Area of Science:

  • Conservation Biology
  • Landscape Ecology
  • Global Ecology

Background:

  • Habitat loss and fragmentation are key drivers of biodiversity loss.
  • The debate exists whether to study habitat loss and fragmentation effects separately or combined.
  • A common assumption is that habitat loss inevitably leads to fragmentation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess if forest loss consistently results in fragmentation globally.
  • To analyze fragmentation changes across various spatial scales.
  • To determine the frequency of increased versus decreased fragmentation following forest loss.

Main Methods:

  • Evaluated 150,000 forest locations globally.
  • Delineated landscapes of six sizes (0.25–10 km radii).
  • Assessed fragmentation changes using four measures for landscapes with forest loss between 2000–2020.

    • Main Results:

    • Forest loss resulted in decreased fragmentation in 44% of cases.
    • Forests became more fragmented after loss in 51% of cases.
    • These patterns held across multiple fragmentation measures, landscape sizes, and biomes.

    Conclusions:

    • Habitat loss does not inevitably lead to increased fragmentation.
    • Fragmentation effects (fragmentation per se) differ from habitat amount effects.
    • Studying fragmentation per se is crucial for effective conservation planning and addressing biodiversity loss.