Effects of habitat fragmentation on populations and genetic variabilityBruno Baur , Daniel Schlaepfer, Peter Stoll, Hans-Peter Rusterholz, Brigitte Braschler, Jari Niemelä (University of Helsinki, Finland) Due to human pressures, ecosystems are being rapidly modified and habitats fragmented, species are becoming extinct and gene pools are being narrowed - and all this at an increasing and historically unprecedented rate. In a field experiment we fragmented calcareous grassland into patches of different size over a period of 7 years. The experimental design (block design, 4 fragments and 4 control patches in each block, 12 blocks distributed over 3 sites (Nenzlingen, Movelier and Vicques in the Swiss Jura mountains) circumvented confounding factors such as differences in shape, age and degree of isolation of fragments. The main aims of the project were to simultaneously evaluate the influence of habitat fragmentation on species diversity (in vascular plants, grasshoppers, ants, aphids, spiders, ground beetles, terrestrial gastropods and butterflies), population viability (in a fungus, several plant and gastropod species) and genetic diversity in selected groups of organisms. Keywords: population viability - population dynamics - edge effect - calcareous grassland - biodiversity Selected publicationsSchlaepfer DR, Braschler B, Rusterholz H-P & Baur B (2018) — Genetic effects of anthropogenic habitat fragmentation on remnant animal and plant populations: a meta-analysis — Ecosphere 9: e02488 Braschler B & Baur B (2016) — Diverse effects of a seven-year experimental grassland fragmentation on major invertebrate groups — PLOS ONE 11: e0149567 Rusterholz H-P & Baur B (2010) — Delayed response in a plant-pollinator system to experimental grassland fragmentation — Oecologia 163: 141–152 Stoll P, Oggier P & Baur B (2009) — Population dynamics of six land snail species in experimentally fragmented grassland — Journal of Animal Ecology 78: 236–246 Braschler B, Marini L, Thommen GH & Baur B (2009) — Effects of small-scale grassland fragmentation and frequent mowing on population density and species diversity of orthopterans: a long-term study — Ecological Entomology 34: 321–329 Stoll P, Dolt C, Goverde M & Baur B (2006) — Experimental habitat fragmentation and invertebrate grazing in a herbaceous grassland species — Basic and Applied Ecology 7: 307–319 Joshi J, Stoll P, Rusterholz H-P, Schmid B, Dolt C & Baur B (2006) — Small-scale experimental habitat fragmentation reduces colonization rates in species-rich grasslands — Oecologia 148: 144–152 Dolt C, Goverde M & Baur B (2005) — Effects of experimental small-scale habitat fragmentation on above-and below-ground plant biomass in calcareous grasslands — Acta Oecologica 27: 49–56 Braschler B & Baur B (2005) — Experimental small-scale grassland fragmentation alters competitive interactions among ant species — Oecologia 143: 291–300
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