Small-Mammal Genomics Highlights Viaducts as Potential Dispersal Conduits for Fragmented Populations by Tabitha C. Y. Hui, Qian Tang, Elize Y. X. Ng, Ju Lian Chong, Eleanor M. Slade, Frank E. Rheindt

“…Wildlife crossings are implemented in many countries to facilitate the dispersal of animals among habitats fragmented by roads. However, the efficacy of different types of habitat corridors remains poorly understood. …”
Get full text

The diversity of ignorance and the ignorance of diversity: origins and implications of “shadow diversity” for conservation biology and extinction by Serena Turton-Hughes, George Holmes, Christopher Hassall

“…Shadow diversity holds exciting potential as a tool to increase awareness, appreciation and support for the conservation of traditionally less studied wildlife species and sites, from soil microbes to less charismatic habitat fragments. We advocate for a shift in how the conservation community and wider public see biodiversity and an increase in popular support for conserving a wider range of life forms. …”
Get full text

Spatial patterns of extra‐pair paternity for spotted towhees Pipilo maculatus in urban parks by Sarah Bartos Smith, Jenny E. McKay, Michael T. Murphy, Deborah A. Duffield

“…The extra‐pair (EP) mating system of birds may be influenced by food resources, such that nutritionally stressed females are unable to pursue EP fertilizations (constrained female hypothesis; CFH), or that females on poor territories acquire EP fertilizations during extra‐territorial forays in search of food (mating opportunity hypothesis; MOH). Edges of urban habitat fragments are sites of apparent high food abundance for spotted towhees Pipilo maculatus, and we used distance to habitat edge in four urban parks in Portland, OR, USA (2004–2006), to test the CFH and MOH. …”
Get full text

Effects of Patch Size, Fragmentation, and Invasive Species on Plant and Lepidoptera Communities in Southern Texas by James A. Stilley, Christopher A. Gabler

“…In the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) of southern Texas, a conservation hotspot, few studies have examined how land use change and biotic disturbance influence biodiversity, particularly among Lepidoptera. We surveyed 24 habitat fragments on private lands in the LRGV and examined how patch size, edge to interior ratio (EIR), prevalence of invasive, exotic, and pest (IEP) plant species, and other environmental factors influenced plant and Lepidoptera communities within four habitat classes. …”
Get full text

How Do Landscape Structure, Management and Habitat Quality Drive the Colonization of Habitat Patches by the Dryad Butterfly (Lepidoptera: Satyrinae) in Fragmented Grassland? by Konrad Kalarus, Piotr Nowicki

“…In order to preserve the species, conservation managers should focus on enhancing the quality of large patches and should also direct their efforts on smaller and more fragmented ones, including those with relatively low resource availability, because such habitat fragments have an important role to play for specialist species.…”
Get full text

Helminth Parasite Prevalence in the Endangered Ethiopian Wolf (Canis simensis) in Web Valley, Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia by Girma Ayalew Mengistu, Nigatu Kebede, Fedlu Abdella

“…Ethiopian wolves (EWs), Canis simensis, are the rarest canids in the world and Africa’s most endangered carnivore, found in only six isolated habitat fragments in the highlands of Ethiopia. Previous reports on the prevalence of parasites in the EW in Bale Mountains National Park (BMNP) are limited, with little information on their helminth fauna. …”
Get full text

Predicting connectivity, population size and genetic diversity of Sunda clouded leopards across Sabah, Borneo by Hearn, AJ, Cushman, SA, Goossens, B, Ross, J, Macdonald, EA, Hunter, LTB, Macdonald, DW

“…Both models identified a large patch of core habitat with high predicted connectivity in Sabah’s central forest region, and agreed on the location and extent of the main isolated habitat fragments. <strong>Conclusions.</strong> We identified clear relationships between landscape composition and configuration and predicted distribution, density, genetic diversity and connectivity of Sunda clouded leopard populations. …”

Ant Communities Resist Even in Small and Isolated Gypsum Habitat Remnants in a Mediterranean Agroecosystem by Francisco M. Azcárate, Francisco M. Azcárate, Aitor Alameda-Martín, Adrián Escudero, Ana M. Sánchez

“…Given the important ecological role played by ants, we recommend the preservation of these small habitat fragments in the management plans of agroecosystems in these drylands, especially in those cases in which intensification of agricultural practices greatly diminish natural habitat availability.…”
Get full text

The influence of urban park characteristics on bird diversity in Nanjing, China by Xueru Yang, Xinwei Tan, Chuanwu Chen, Yanping Wang

“…For highly urbanized areas, parks have become “islands” or habitat fragments for wildlife. As an important indicator group of urban ecosystem health, the response of birds to urbanization has attracted the global attention of ecologists. …”
Get full text

Nesting burrowing owl density and abundance in the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area, California by K. Shawn Smallwood, Lee Neher, Joanne Mount, Renee C. E. Culver

“…More generally, management decisions based on comparisons of breeding‐pair density should also consider whether the density estimates were made in habitat fragments, sites selected for known high density, or in randomly or systematically selected plots sampling large areas, because the type of study area strongly influences the density estimate. © 2013 The Wildlife Society.…”
Get full text

Fifty-year habitat subdivision enhances soil microbial biomass and diversity across subtropical land-bridge islands by Ying Wu, Ying Wu, Ying Wu, Bing Wang, Liji Wu, Shengen Liu, Lingyan Yue, Jianping Wu, Jianping Wu, Dima Chen

“…Habitat subdivision reduced soil bacterial dissimilarity on medium-sized islands but did not affect soil fungal dissimilarity on islands of any size. The habitat fragment-induced changes in soil microbial dissimilarity were mainly associated with microbial richness. …”
Get full text

Landscape connectivity for mammalian megafauna along the Iran-Turkmenistan-Afghanistan borderland by Hosseini, M, Farashi, A, Khani, A, Farhadinia, MS

“…Habitat fragmentation threatens biodiversity, causes population isolation and reduces the availability of resources. …”

Identification and prioritization of stepping stones for biodiversity conservation in forest ecosystems by Katharina Lapin, Johanna A. Hoffmann, Martin Braun, Janine Oettel

“…To mitigate the negative impact of fragmentation in forests, conservation targets are increasingly addressing connectivity to facilitate the independent movement of species between habitat fragments to ensure genetic diversity and adaptation to climate change. …”
Get full text

Influence of microhabitat on Honduran Emerald (Amazilia luciae) abundance in tropical dry forest remnants by Fabiola Rodríguez, Dorian Escoto, Thelma M. Mejía-Ordóñez, Lilian Ferrufino-Acosta, Saby Y. Cruz, Joseph E. Duchamp, Jeffery L. Larkin

“…Remaining populations of this endangered species are restricted to habitat fragments located in landscapes dominated by agricultural activities. …”
Get full text

Assessing the severity of patch size and perimeter of fragmented forest by using web based spatial analysis by Mohd Noh, Nurfarah Aqilah

“…This study intended to take steps toward the implementation of optimal shape of habitat fragments which is circular shape that will be benchmarked against the readily available forest fragments. …”
Get full text

Identification of Rubber Plantations in Southwestern China Based on Multi-Source Remote Sensing Data and Phenology Windows by Guokun Chen, Zicheng Liu, Qingke Wen, Rui Tan, Yiwen Wang, Jingjing Zhao, Junxin Feng

“…The continuous transformation from biodiverse natural forests and mixed-use farms into monoculture rubber plantations may lead to a series of hazards, such as natural forest habitats fragmentation, biodiversity loss, as well as drought and water shortage. …”
Get full text

Changes in Vertical Stratification of Neotropical Nymphalid Butterflies at Forest Edges Are Not Directly Caused by Light and Temperature Conditions by Brian K. Oye, Ryan I. Hill

“…Habitat fragmentation and land use changes threaten neotropical habitats and alter patterns of diversity at forest edges. …”
Get full text

RAD-sequencing improves the genetic characterization of a threatened tree peony (Paeonia ludlowii) endemic to China: Implications for conservation by Yu-Juan Zhao, Gen-Shen Yin, Xun Gong

“…All these events, together with current habitat fragment and excavation might contribute to the endangered status of P. ludlowii. …”
Get full text

Ecologie alimentaire des bonobos en mosaïque forêt-savane : aliments de base et aliments de réserve by Victor Narat, Flora Pennec, Jean Christophe Bokika Ngawolo, Sabrina Krief

“…Composé d’une mosaïque forêt-savane, l’habitat fragmenté est plus diversifié (forêt, savane, lisière) que dans les autres sites d’étude des bonobos. …”
Get full text