Landscape modification and habitat fragmentation: a synthesis

ABSTRACT Landscape modification and habitat fragmentation are key drivers of global species loss. Their effects may be understood by focusing on: (1) individual species and the processes threatening them, and (2) human‐perceived landscape patterns and their correlation with species and assemblages. Individual species may decline as a result of interacting exogenous and endogenous threats, including habitat loss, habitat degradation, habitat isolation, changes in the biology, behaviour, and interactions of species, as well as additional, stochastic threats. Human‐perceived landscape patterns that are frequently correlated with species assemblages include the amount and structure of native vegetation, the…