Human-mediated habitat fragmentation is a global phenomenon that has decimated faunal and floral diversity. Analyses of the effects of fragmentation upon target organism are of relevance to conserving what remains of this diversity.

It is accepted that there is a latent period between habitat fragmentation and the extinction of species, thus the consequences of fragmentation often occur several generations after the event. Our project aims to test the effectiveness of stepping-stone forests in increasing landscape connectivity.

Development of the project

Twenty-eight forest fragments were chosen for this study: seven of larger size (over 400 hectares), seven medium size (from 100 to 200 hectares) and seven small size (between 20 and 60 hectares). In addition, seven areas within the Morro do Diabo State Park (a forest of about 36,000 hectares) were also included in the study. The areas varied in the amount of time they had been fragmented and their connectivity to neighboring habitat patches. Bird surveys are being conducted by song identification to yield an abundance index for each species. Data analyses are carried-out between populations, between communities and between effective groups. Genetic analyses help assess whether fragmentation has had an impact on genetic diversity and if birds in neighboring forests are more genetically similar.