Betts_et_al_2019.pdf (459.79 kB)
Extinction filters mediate the global effects of habitat fragmentation on animals
journal contribution
posted on 2023-08-30, 16:53 authored by Matthew G. Betts, Christopher Wolf, Marion Pfeifer, Cristina Banks-Leite, Víctor Arroyo-Rodríguez, Danilo B. Ribeiro, Jos Barlow, Felix Eigenbrod, Deborah Faria, Robert J. Fletcher, Adam S. Hadley, Joseph E. Hawes, Robert D. Holt, Brian Klingbeil, Urs Kormann, Luc Lens, Taal Levi, Guido F. Medina-Rangel, Stephanie L. Melles, Dirk Mezger, José C. Morante-Filho, C. David L. Orme, Carlos A. Peres, Benjamin T. Phalan, Anna Pidgeon, Hugh Possingham, William J. Ripple, Eleanor M. Slade, Eduardo Somarriba, Joseph A. Tobias, Jason M. Tylianakis, J. Nicolás Urbina-Cardona, Jonathon J. Valente, James I. Watling, Konstans Wells, Oliver R. Wearn, Eric Wood, Richard Young, Robert M. EwersHabitat loss is the primary driver of biodiversity decline worldwide, but the effects of fragmentation (the spatial arrangement of remaining habitat) are debated. We tested the hypothesis that forest fragmentation sensitivity—affected by avoidance of habitat edges—should be driven by historical exposure to, and therefore species’ evolutionary responses to disturbance. Using a database containing 73 datasets collected worldwide (encompassing 4489 animal species), we found that the proportion of fragmentation-sensitive species was nearly three times as high in regions with low rates of historical disturbance compared with regions with high rates of disturbance (i.e., fires, glaciation, hurricanes, and deforestation). These disturbances coincide with a latitudinal gradient in which sensitivity increases sixfold at low versus high latitudes. We conclude that conservation efforts to limit edges created by fragmentation will be most important in the world’s tropical forests.
History
Refereed
- Yes
Volume
366Issue number
6470Page range
1236-1239Publication title
ScienceISSN
1095-9203External DOI
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of ScienceFile version
- Accepted version
Language
- eng
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Legacy posted date
2020-01-16Legacy creation date
2020-01-20Legacy Faculty/School/Department
Faculty of Science & EngineeringUsage metrics
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