As forest areas shrink and become fragmented, many tree species face problems.
As forest areas shrink and become fragmented, many tree species face problems. They often rely on animals that can no longer disperse their seeds effectively.
Biodiversity loss is the biggest environmental problem we face today, according to a UN report that came out last year. One of the main reasons is that large forest areas are disappearing due to human impact.
A lack of connected forests can prevent trees from multiplying efficiently. The more fragmented the forest becomes, the greater the problem for the trees.
“Forest fragmentation has a negative effect on seed dispersal by means of animals,” says Emma-Liina Marjakangas at the Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD) in NTNU’s Department of Biology.
Read more at Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Image: Researcher Emma-Liina Marjakangas in the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve in Brazil. Marjakangas was first author on a paper that explored how forest fragmentation affected seed dispersal, among other factors. (Credit: Photo: Antti Miettinen)
