Synergistic impacts of habitat loss and fragmentation on model ecosystems

Lewis J. Bartlett, Tim Newbold, Drew W. Purves, Derek P. Tittensor, Michael B.J. Harfoot

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

42 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Habitat loss and fragmentation are major threats to biodiversity, yet separating their effects is challenging. We use a multi-trophic, trait-based, and spatially explicit general ecosystem model to examine the independent and synergistic effects of these processes on ecosystem structure. We manipulated habitat by removing plant biomass in varying spatial extents, intensities, and configurations.We found that emergent synergistic interactions of loss and fragmentation aremajor determinants of ecosystemresponse, including population declines and trophic pyramid shifts. Furthermore, trait-mediated interactions, such as a disproportionate sensitivity of large-sized organismsto fragmentation, produce significant effects in shaping responses. We also show that top-down regulation mitigates the effects of land use on plant biomass loss, suggesting that models lacking these interactions-including most carbon stock models- may not adequately capture land-use change impacts. Our results have important implications for understanding ecosystem responses to environmental change, and assessing the impacts of habitat fragmentation.

Original languageEnglish
Article number20161027
JournalProceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Volume283
Issue number1839
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 28 2016

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
T.N. acknowledges funding from a Leverhulme Trust Research Project grant. L.J.B. acknowledges funding from a Natural Environment Research Council training grant (NE/L002434/1). M.H. and D.T. acknowledge funding from a KR Rasmussen Foundation grant.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 The Author(s).

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

  • General Biochemistry,Genetics and Molecular Biology
  • General Immunology and Microbiology
  • General Environmental Science
  • General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

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