Habitat fragmentation is a landscape-level phenomenon in which a once-continuous habitat is broken into smaller, spatially isolated patches separated by a matrix of modified or unsuitable land cover. It encompasses reductions in patch size, increased edge-to-interior ratios, and isolation effects that alter species movement, gene flow, metapopulation dynamics, and community composition. Fragmentation modifies abiotic conditions (e.g., microclimate, hydrology), disrupts ecological interactions such as pollination and predation, and can increase extinction risk, invasion susceptibility, and biotic homogenization. It is typically quantified using metrics of patch configuration, connectivity, and edge density in landscape ecology and conservation biology.
Africa is home to around 70% of the world's burned area—the total area of land scorched by wildfires each year—making it the planet's biggest wildfire hotspot. Yet despite this, satellite observations have revealed an unexpected ...
Australia's largest gliding marsupial may not be the country's best glider after all, according to new research from The Australian National University (ANU) that challenges a decades-old belief about how far southern greater ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 15, 2026
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Are giant sinkholes in China's karst mountains havens or traps for the rare plants that inhabit them? A new study finds they are both—offering refuge from heat and drought while gradually eroding the evolutionary potential ...
Evolution
Jul 14, 2026
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There could be fewer leopards living across sub-Saharan Africa than previously believed, according to a new study that has analyzed suitable habitat and conditions. It is hoped that the research, led by conservation scientists ...
Ecology
Jul 6, 2026
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Africa is home to many iconic national parks and marine reserves, such as Virunga in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niokolo-Koba in Senegal, Kruger National Park in South Africa and Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. ...
Ecology
Jul 6, 2026
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Climate change is shifting forest conditions faster than local tree species can adapt. Higher temperatures, more frequent droughts and less predictable winters can weaken species that have been established in a region for ...
Ecology
Jul 6, 2026
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In the humid jungle of Vietnam, Natalia Ocampo-Peñuela and Monte Neate-Clegg spent hours patiently waiting to spot the rare "Halloween bird." Officially known as the collared laughingthrush, this songbird has striking orange, ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 2, 2026
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How many insects and spiders live in 1 square meter (11 square feet) of meadow? What impact do humans have on this biodiversity in mowed meadows, lawns and roadside verges? A new online tool answers these questions: the Insect ...
Ecology
Jun 29, 2026
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Old oak trees and semi-natural grasslands are very important for a large number of species that risk disappearing as habitats decline. In a new study, researchers at Linköping University in Sweden present their findings on ...
Ecology
Jun 25, 2026
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Larger areas contain more species. This is one of the most ironclad laws of ecology, which explains why large natural areas usually receive higher priority in conservation strategies. In fragmented landscapes, this logic ...
Ecology
Jun 19, 2026
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