Habitat Fragmentation

1. Wildlife - habitat
Term: Habitat Fragmentation

2. Fragmentation
•Habitats which were once continuous
become divided into separate
fragments.
•The separate fragments tend to be
very small islands isolated from each
other by crop land, pasture,
pavement, or even barren land.
•Major habitat problem for wildlife in
Fauquier County

3. Fragments
•Population problems
•No immigration or emigration
•Reduced reproductive pool
•Decreasing species diversity
•Increased edge to core ratio

4. Edge
•At the forest edge, wind and sun light
result in dryer conditions than are found in
the interior of the forest patch.
•Forest edges are also more accessible to
predators and parasites that may occur in
adjacent fields or developed areas
•Interior Species can only live in the core
of a forest

5. Arrangement
•Fragments
•Corridors

6. Wildlife Corridors
•Provide a covered route between
fragmented habitats
•Unknown effectiveness
•Low tech best

7. Riparian Buffers
improve habitat by:
•Functioning as wildlife corridors
•Provides cover for animals to move from one
area to another.

8. Provide cover & edge habitat
•Provides food, cover, & nesting sites
Edge
No edge

9. •Trees & shrubs provide roosting sites for
birds
•Increased humidity provides habitat for
amphibians, snakes, & turtles

10. Shade
•Supplies cover and cool temperatures for
fish and aquatic insects

11. Habitat Requirements of Wildlife
•Food
•Cover
•Water
•Space (Range)
•Arrangement

12. Food
•Quality & Quantity
•Seasonality
–Not just during hunting season
•Supplementation
–Plantings
–Trees

13. Cover
–From elements
–From predators
–Edge

14. Water
•Flowing water
•Standing water
•Dew
•Temperature
•Sedimentation

15. Space or Range
•Bears: 10 miles
•Crayfish: 2 feet
•Adaptations
–Deer will live in a very small range
–Bears ranges getting smaller

16. Niche & Habitat
•Habitat
–Place in nature
–Where
–Biological & physical
resources
–Flora & Fauna
–Climate
–Terrain
–Applies to all species
•Niche
–Role in nature
–What & how
–Position in the
foodweb
–Physiological &
behavioral adaptations
–Unique to each
species

17. Habitat & Niche work together
•Biological Need:
–Female ducks need to supply all fat, minerals
& protein needed in egg w/in 24 hours
–Niche:
•Ducks usually eat seeds – lower protein, higher fat
•During laying ducks eat invertebrates – high
protein
–Habitat:
•Ducks seek shallow wetlands because they warm
quickly in the spring & provide abundant
invertebrates

18. Habitat Project
•Select and describe an ecosystem from the
guide
•Describe the management activities needed to
create or improve its wildlife habitat
•Include a section on management of invasives
•Supplement with management strategies for one
other (non-avian) wildlife species.
•Make a powerpoint to display your results.
•Have a spokesperson present your management
strategies to the class on Wed.

19. Habitats
•Agricultural
•Grasslands
•Shrubland
•Forest
•Savanna
•Wetland
•Developed
•No more than 2 people per group

20. Catfish
•Feed fish at 3% of body weight
•Table 4-2 in book, relates length to weight
•5” = 35.3 lbs/1000
•We have 200, how much do they weigh?
•What is 3% of that?
•How much is that?