Beyond the Fragmentation Threshold Hypothesis: Regime Shifts in Biodiversity Across Fragmented Landscapes

Ecological systems are vulnerable to irreversible change when key system properties are pushed over thresholds, resulting in the loss of resilience and the precipitation of a regime shift. Perhaps the most important of such properties in human-modified landscapes is the total amount of remnant native vegetation. In a seminal study Andrén proposed the existence of a fragmentation threshold in the total amount of remnant vegetation, below which landscape-scale connectivity is eroded and local species richness and abundance become dependent on patch size. Despite the fact that species patch-area effects have been a mainstay of conservation science there has yet to be a robust empirical evaluation of this…

• SR
  Sight Research UK

  Award: NE/F01614X/1
• FD
  Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

  Award: 05/56555-4
• CD
  Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
• BF
  Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung

  Award: 690144/01-6
• GB
  Governo Brasil
• CN
  Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico

  Award: 690144/01-6
• NE
  Natural Environment Research Council

  Awards: NE/F01614X/1, NE/F01614X/1