Habitat fragmentation describes the process by which a large
continuous habitat is divided into smaller, separated habitats. Edge effects
are a large part of this occurrence. In
a habitat, the environmental conditions can greatly differ between the center
and the edges, including factors such as light and temperature. The varied
habitats between the edge and center of a habitat can mean a reduction the area
in which a particular species can live after habitat fragmentation. Increased
edge habitat due to habitat fragmentation can also affect factors contributing
to loss of biodiversity such as invasive species, weather events, and contact
between the species occupying the habitat and humans. Effects of increased
human-species contact are often seen often in protected wildlife habitats.
There is usually not any sort of fence or other marker delineating the boundary
of the protected area, so animals do not consistently remain in the protected
area. In areas where farmland surrounds protected habitat, animals can be killed
for venturing outside the habitat as a result of farmers protecting their land.
There are many problems created by
habitat fragmentation that cause a loss of biodiversity, these being just a few
among them.
Sources:
Didham, Raphael K. "Ecological Consequences of Habitat
Fragmentation." Citable Review in the Life Sciences. ELS, Nov.
2010. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.
PLOS. "Habitat Fragmentation, Variable Edge Effects, and the
Landscape-Divergence Hypothesis." PLOS ONE:. N.p., 10 Oct. 2007.
Web. 22 Apr. 2015.
Image: http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/GI/Pages/WhyNeedGI.aspx
Bastiaans, Elizabeth. “Conservation
Biology” BIOL Class Lecture. Willey Hall, West Bank, Minneapolis, MN. December
9, 2014. Lecture.
