EFFECT OF HABITAT FRAGMENTATION ON THE EXTINCTION THRESHOLD: A SYNTHESIS *

I reviewed and reconciled predictions of four models on the effect of habitat fragmentation on the population extinction threshold, and I compared these predictions to results from empirical studies. All four models predict that habitat fragmentation can, under some conditions, increase the extinction threshold such that, in more fragmented landscapes, more habitat is required for population persistence. However, empirical studies have shown both positive and negative effects of habitat fragmentation on population abundance and distribution with about equal frequency, suggesting that the models lack some important process(es). The two colonization–extinction (CE) models predict that fragmentation can increase…

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  Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada