Fragmentation of ecosystems leads to loss of biodiversity in the remaining habitat patches, but retaining connecting corridors can reduce these losses. Using long-term data from a large, replicated experiment, Damschen et al. show quantitatively how these losses are reduced. In their pine savanna system, corridors reduced the likelihood of plant extinction in patches by about 2% per year and increased the likelihood of patch colonization by about 5% per year. These benefits continued to accrue over the course of the 18-year experiment.
Ellen I. Damschen Lars A. Brudvig Melissa A. Burt Robert J. Fletcher Jr. Nick M. Haddad Douglas J. Levey John L. Orrock Julian Resasco Joshua J. Tewksbury