Community organization: effects of landscape fragmentation

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Abstract
All over the world, natural terrestrial ecosystems have been subjected to a wide variety of human impacts. Most noticeable are activities and processes associated with agriculture, forestry, mining, and urban development. Results range from virtual obliterations of natural communities through varying degrees of fragmentation to a series of preserves and natural areas. Studies of many taxa, both plant and animal, indicate numerous effects associated with the loss of contiguity, reduction in total area, relationship to physical factors, and increasing separation of remaining fragments. The theory of island biogeography has been tested in many kinds of landscapes and for many groups of organisms. The great differences between true islands and terrestrial "habitat islands" lead to inconclusive results in many investigations and to major questions concerning the applicability of the equilibrium model to fragmented terrestrial landscapes. This paper attempts to summarize indicative examples that have a bearing on community structure and organization and to present some ideas for future work in landscape management and its relation to species diversity, natural area preservation, and continued ecosystem integrity, viability, stability, and vitality.

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