The amount of reachable habitat determines population fate

Habitat loss and fragmentation drive biodiversity decline, yet debate persists on their relative impacts and how to design landscapes for biodiversity conservation. While some prioritize habitat connectivity, others emphasize habitat quantity. However, the role of the landscape matrix and its resistance in population persistence remains poorly understood. To address this, we conducted a multigenerational, landscape-scale experiment using the model arthropod Folsomia candida, assessing the effects of matrix resistance and inter-patch distance on colonization, population size, and extinction while keeping a fixed habitat amount. We found that the amount of reachable habitat, integrating habitat amount and matrix resistance, is a strong predictor of population size and extinction risk. Survival across matrix types was the key mechanism, influencing both colonization and demography. Our study enhances understanding and predictive ability of population fate at the landscape scale, offering new insights for landscape ecology theory and valuable perspectives for applied conservation. Supplementary Material File (argote et al. main body_27mars2025.pdf) - Download - 584.74 KB Information & Authors Information Version history Peer review timeline Published Ecography Version of Record3 Dec 2025Published Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License.

Authors Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 219views 128downloads Citations Download citation Karolina Argote, Benoit Geslin, Mathieu Santonja, et al. The amount of reachable habitat determines population fate. Authorea. 28 March 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.174316240.01092649/v1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.174316240.01092649/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu.