{"id":19973,"date":"2025-03-12T20:59:07","date_gmt":"2025-03-12T20:59:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=19973"},"modified":"2025-03-12T20:59:09","modified_gmt":"2025-03-12T20:59:09","slug":"new-study-reveals-large-forests-key-to-preserving-biodiversity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/new-study-reveals-large-forests-key-to-preserving-biodiversity\/","title":{"rendered":"New Study Reveals Large Forests Key to Preserving Biodiversity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">A new University of Michigan-led study decisively finds that large, undisturbed forests better preserve biodiversity than fragmented landscapes, ending a long-standing ecological debate and underscoring the urgent need for forest restoration.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-b0ffac9c wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A landmark study led by the University of Michigan (U-M) has concluded that preserving large, undisturbed forests is far more effective for maintaining biodiversity than protecting fragmented landscapes. This study, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41586-025-08688-7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">published<\/a> in Nature, addresses a crucial, decades-long debate among ecologists about the best strategies for conservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ecologists have universally acknowledged that habitat loss and forest fragmentation lead to a reduction in biodiversity within the remaining patches. However, opinions have differed on whether it\u2019s more beneficial to conserve numerous small, fragmented areas or larger, continuous landscapes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The new research sheds light on this fundamental question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFragmentation is bad,\u201d co-author Nate Sanders, a U-M professor of ecology and evolutionary biology said in a news release. \u201cThis paper clearly shows that fragmentation has negative effects on biodiversity across scales. That doesn&#8217;t mean we shouldn&#8217;t try to conserve small fragments when we can with our limited conservation dollars, but we need to be wise about conservation decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The synthesis, led by U-M ecologist Thiago Gon\u00e7alves-Souza, examined 4,006 species of vertebrates, invertebrates and plants across 37 global sites, comparing biodiversity between continuous and fragmented landscapes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The findings reveal that fragmented areas had 13.6% fewer species at the patch scale and 12.1% fewer species at the landscape scale, emphasizing the detrimental impact of fragmentation on biodiversity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Key to the study were measurements of alpha, beta and gamma diversity \u2014 metrics that describe species richness within patches, differences in species composition among patches and overall landscape biodiversity, respectively. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite claims that species turnover in fragmented habitats might enhance landscape-level biodiversity (gamma diversity), the findings indicate otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe heart of the debate is that people who argue that fragmentation isn&#8217;t so bad say that because you have isolated habitats, you have different species composition, which means at a large scale, it&#8217;s good. If they are different, we can assume that the gamma diversity is going to be higher,\u201d added Gon\u00e7alves-Souza, a postdoctoral fellow at U-M\u2019s Institute for Global Change Biology. \u201cThey say the opposite for large tracts of land: because this is a continuous and homogeneous patch, the species composition is too similar.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The study\u2019s authors, including researchers from Michigan State University and the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research, utilized advanced data and statistical tools to compare biodiversity accurately across various landscapes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This comprehensive approach revealed that the loss in species diversity due to fragmentation wasn\u2019t offset by increased beta diversity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOne reason that this has been such a long-standing and unresolved debate is that we simply have not had the appropriate data and statistical tools to systematically evaluate the question at both smaller and larger scales,\u201d added co-author Jonathan Chase, a professor at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis paper resolves a half-century old debate about how to conserve biodiversity in natural areas, one started by scientific luminaries including E.O. Wilson and Jared Diamond,\u201d co-author Nick Haddad, a researcher at Michigan State University, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beyond biodiversity, fragmented landscapes potentially compromise the landscape&#8217;s capacity to store carbon, a critical factor in climate change mitigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPeople are also comparing these two situations and finding that we are losing the ability for landscapes to store more carbon in fragmented landscapes,\u201d added Gon\u00e7alves-Souza. \u201cFragmented landscapes are not only going to affect biodiversity by decreasing alpha and gamma diversity, but it also has implications for carbon stock as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Looking forward, Gon\u00e7alves-Souza hopes the study will shift the focus of the conservation community from the debate over landscape types to active restoration efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don&#8217;t know if it\u2019s useful to think about continuous vs. fragmented landscapes. We need to protect biodiversity and I think this debate is not helping to actually support conservation,\u201d Gon\u00e7alves-Souza added. \u201cIn many, many countries, there aren&#8217;t many large, intact forests remaining. Therefore, our focus should be on planting new forests and restoring increasingly degraded habitats. Restoration is crucial for the future, more so than debating whether it\u2019s better to have one large forest or many smaller fragments.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The global collaboration underscores the importance of holistic approaches to environmental conservation, guided by robust scientific data, to safeguard biodiversity and ecological health effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:12px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/news.umich.edu\/want-to-preserve-biodiversity-go-big-u-m-researchers-say\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">University of Michigan<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A landmark study led by the University of Michigan (U-M) has concluded that preserving large, undisturbed forests is far more effective for maintaining biodiversity than protecting fragmented landscapes. This study, published in Nature, addresses a crucial, decades-long debate among ecologists about the best strategies for conservation. Ecologists have universally acknowledged that habitat loss and forest [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[144,35,76],"class_list":["post-19973","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-college-admissions","tag-german-centre-for-integrative-biodiversity-research","tag-michigan-state-university","tag-university-of-michigan"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"A landmark study led by the University of Michigan (U-M) has concluded that preserving large, undisturbed forests is far more effective for maintaining biodiversity than protecting fragmented landscapes. This study, published in Nature, addresses a crucial, decades-long debate among ecologists about the best strategies for conservation. Ecologists have universally acknowledged that habitat loss and forest&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19973","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19973"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19973\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19990,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19973\/revisions\/19990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19973"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}