title: Habitat fragmentation and its lasting impact on Earth's ecosystems.
abstract: We conducted an analysis of global forest cover to reveal that 70% of remaining forest is within 1 km of the forest's edge, subject to the degrading effects of fragmentation. A synthesis of fragmentation experiments spanning multiple biomes and scales, five continents, and 35 years demonstrates that habitat fragmentation reduces biodiversity by 13 to 75% and impairs key ecosystem functions by decreasing biomass and altering nutrient cycles. Effects are greatest in the smallest and most isolated fragments, and they magnify with the passage of time. These findings indicate an urgent need for conservation and restoration measures to improve landscape connectivity, which will reduce extinction rates and help maintain ecosystem services.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA.
authors.forename: Nick M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Haddad
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1312, USA.
authors.forename: Lars A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Brudvig
authors.affiliation: Station d'Ecologie Expérimentale du CNRS a Moulis USR 2936, Moulis, 09200 Saint-Girons, France.
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Clobert
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UCB 334, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
authors.forename: Kendi F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1B1, Canada.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
authors.forename: Robert D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Holt
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Lovejoy
authors.affiliation: Global Land Cover Facility, Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20702, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Sexton
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Land and Water Flagship, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia.
authors.forename: Mike P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Austin
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Colby College, 5746 Mayflower Hill, Waterville, ME 04901, USA.
authors.forename: Cathy D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, MN 56301, USA.
authors.forename: William M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Cook
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
authors.forename: Ellen I
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Damschen
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY, UK.
authors.forename: Robert M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Ewers
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Kansas Biological Survey, University of Kansas, 2101 Constant Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66047-3759, USA.
authors.forename: Bryan L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas, Rod. Dom Pedro I, km 47, Caixa Postal 47, Nazaré Paulista, São Paulo 12960-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Clinton N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Jenkins
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Land and Water Flagship, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia.
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: King
authors.affiliation: Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science and College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland 4878, Australia.
authors.forename: William F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Laurance
authors.affiliation: National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA 22230, USA.
authors.forename: Douglas J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Levey
authors.affiliation: Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Cairns 4878, Australia. ; Research Center for Climate Change, University of Indonesia, Kota Depok, Java Barat 16424, Indonesia.
authors.forename: Chris R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Margules
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UCB 334, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
authors.forename: Brett A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Melbourne
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Land and Water Flagship, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia. ; The Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, Thurgoona Campus, Albury, New South Wales 2640, Australia.
authors.forename: A O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Nicholls
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
authors.forename: John L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Orrock
authors.affiliation: Global Land Cover Facility, Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20702, USA.
authors.forename: Dan-Xia
authors.initials: DX
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Global Land Cover Facility, Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20702, USA.
authors.forename: John R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Townshend