Version 1
: Received: 30 September 2024 / Approved: 1 October 2024 / Online: 1 October 2024 (11:42:35 CEST)
How to cite:
Marchesan, J.; Kolasa, J. Habitat Fragmentation Affects Richness – a View Through a Metacommunity Lens. Preprints2024, 2024100052. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.0052.v1
Marchesan, J.; Kolasa, J. Habitat Fragmentation Affects Richness – a View Through a Metacommunity Lens. Preprints 2024, 2024100052. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.0052.v1
Marchesan, J.; Kolasa, J. Habitat Fragmentation Affects Richness – a View Through a Metacommunity Lens. Preprints2024, 2024100052. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.0052.v1
APA Style
Marchesan, J., & Kolasa, J. (2024). Habitat Fragmentation Affects Richness – a View Through a Metacommunity Lens. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.0052.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Marchesan, J. and Jurek Kolasa. 2024 "Habitat Fragmentation Affects Richness – a View Through a Metacommunity Lens" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.0052.v1
Abstract
Habitat fragmentation is often assumed to negatively impact species diversity because smaller, more isolated populations on smaller habitat patches are at a higher extinction risk. However, some empirical and theoretical studies suggest that landscapes with numerous small habitat patches may support higher species richness, although the circumstances remain elusive. We used an agent-based metacommunity model to investigate this and simulate landscapes of the same total area but diverse patch sizes. Our model, as generic and unbiased by specific assumptions as possible, aimed to explore which circumstances may be more conducive to supporting higher biodiversity. To this end, most parameters and behaviors were random. The model included generalized species traits, dispersal, and interactions to explore species richness dynamics in fragmented landscapes of distinct patch sizes. Our results show that landscapes with many small patches maintain higher species richness than those with fewer large patches. Also, the relationship between patch connectivity and species richness is more pronounced in landscapes with smaller patches. High connectivity in these landscapes may support species diversity by preventing local extinctions and facilitating recolonization. In contrast, connectivity is less significant in large-patch landscapes, where generalist species dominate. The findings highlight the complex interplay between patch size quality, connectivity, species traits, and diverse interactions among species in determining species richness. We suggest the patterns produced by the model represent null predictions and may be useful as a reference for a diversity of more specialized questions and predictions. These insights may also have specific implications for conservation strategies, suggesting that maintaining a mosaic of small, well-connected patches could enhance biodiversity in fragmented landscapes.
Keywords
Habitat fragmentation, species diversity, metacommunity model, agent-based simulation, dispersal, habitat, species specialization, species interactions
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
