Science. 1992 Jul 24;257(5069):524-6. doi: 10.1126/science.257.5069.524.
Different components of an ecosystem can respond in very different ways to habitat fragmentation. An archipelago of patches, representing different levels of fragmentation, was arrayed within a successional field and studied over a period of 6 years. Ecosystem processes (soil mineralization and plant succession) did not vary with the degree of subdivision, nor did most measures of plant and animal community diversity. However, fragmentation affected vertebrate population dynamics and distributional patterns as well as the population persistence of clonal plant species. The results highlight the dangers of relying on broad community measures in lieu of detailed population analyses in studies of fragmented habitats.
生态系统的不同组成部分对生境破碎化的反应可能非常不同。在一个演替场中排列着一个由斑块组成的群岛，代表不同程度的破碎化，并在 6 年的时间里进行了研究。生态系统过程（土壤矿化和植物演替）并没有随着细分程度的变化而变化，植物和动物群落多样性的大多数衡量标准也没有变化。然而，破碎化影响了脊椎动物的种群动态和分布模式，以及克隆植物物种的种群持久性。研究结果强调了在研究破碎栖息地时，依赖于广泛的群落措施而不是详细的种群分析的危险。
