Fragmentation

Question 1

What is habitat fragmentation?

Answer 1

Entails habitat loss and increasing numbers of small habitat fragments, with higher isolation

Habitat can be +/- fragmented.
- With land sparing (few patches, bigger),
- land sharing (a lot of small patches),
- just habitat loss (one patch, smaller)

The definition is not super easy. Important on what scale we are looking at, for fragmentation or for biodiversity.

If look on a patch scale study, different than on landscape scale study

Habitat fragmentation does not equal automatically habitat loss

Difficult to study it in a standardized way

Question 2

What is better, habitat clumping or not? What is clumping?

Answer 2

Clumping has a negative effect on biodiversity

Clumping= a lot of small fragments in one sector… vs small fragments more dispersed

voir slide 17

Question 3

Why is there a positive effect on biodiversity with fragmentation?

Answer 3

No clear explanation…

Some say it is higher connectivity, the closest the fragments are, the higher connectivity

Higher habitat diversity
Heterogeneity=> higher species diversity

Positive edge effect

Question 4

What is the matrix in habitat fragmentation? why is it important?

Answer 4

Matrix=> what surrounds the fragments

Higher fragmentation = high edge area

Forest species => can also feed on agricultural ground for ex pastures

Question 5

What is a problem in studying fragments?

Answer 5

We don’t know age of fragments, and process is often ongoing => still fragmentation ongoing in the area, so dynamic process => more difficult to study. Difficult scenario.

Question 6

Name an example of fragmentation study project

Answer 6

Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project
- Brazil
- Area = 100 ha
- Focus on area and edges
- Since the 80s, still ongoing
- consistant sampling protocols

Question 7

What is the effect of fragmentation on bats

Answer 7

Responses of bats to fragmentation not only guild- but also species-specific within a guild

• High conservation value of forest fragments embedded in a heterogeneous agricultural matrix in close vicinity of larger forested area; may sustain a rather high local bat diversity
• Conservation of the full local bat community requires the protection of larger protected old-growth forests acting as species pools as only these sustain the fragmentation-sensitive gleaning animalivores
• The matrix strongly influences bat diversity, with an aquatic matrix being the most restrictive filter
• Effects of fragment isolation were strongest in the archipelagic system of islands surrounded by water
• We argue for changing the perspective of classic island biogeography theory towards a countryside biogeography theory applied in conservation strategies
• Both fragmented landscapes resemble a best-case scenario for conservation

Question 8

What is the impact of landscape heterogeneity?

Answer 8

Biodiversity in fragmented landscapes is driven by landscape composition (e.g. number of different land use types) and landscape configuration (e.g. average fragment size)

=> Habitat loss, fragmentation and land-use intensification often reduce compositional and configurational heterogeneity

Question 9

T or F, habitat loss is the same as habitat fragmentation

Answer 9

False

Question 10

Habitat fragmentation can result in higher biodiversity Tor F

Answer 10

T

Question 11

What is the SLOSS concept?

Answer 11

Single large or several small fragments