As humans break up forests and fragment habitats, it’s not just species that are lost but also the way ecosystems work, a new study finds.
A paper recently published in Ecology Letters compares how mammals are connected through food webs – meaning who eats who or what – in 127 protected areas across Africa. It’s the first study to compare food web similarity at a continental scale.
Working with MSU Assistant Professor Lydia Beaudrot, Rice University Ph.D. student Annie Finneran learned that fragmented habitats are a significant predictor of how similar food webs are in the Congo Basin’s tropical forests. The study adds to the growing body of research pointing to the negative impact of humans on tropical forest wildlife in protected areas.
“Protected areas are critical strongholds for conservation,” Beaudrot said. “At the same time, the wildlife they’re trying to protect are not immune to the effects of human encroachment.”