Land‐use change is considered the greatest threat to nature, having caused worldwide
declines in the abundance, diversity, and health of species and ecosystems. Despite …

Localized ecological systems are known to shift abruptly and irreversibly from one state to
another when they are forced across critical thresholds. Here we review evidence that the …

Ecology Letters (2010) 13: 597–605 Abstract Intensification or abandonment of agricultural
land use has led to a severe decline of semi‐natural habitats across Europe. This can cause …

Habitat loss has pervasive and disruptive impacts on biodiversity in habitat remnants. The
magnitude of the ecological impacts of habitat loss can be exacerbated by the spatial …

Local extinction of species can occur with a substantial delay following habitat loss or
degradation. Accumulating evidence suggests that such extinction debts pose a significant …

The extensive development of surface and subsurface drainage systems to facilitate
agricultural production throughout North America has significantly altered the hydrology of …

Research addressing the effects of habitat fragmentation on species, assemblages or
ecosystems has been fraught with difficulties, from its conceptual foundation to statistical …

Habitat loss has been, and still is, the greatest threat to biodiversity (Brooks et al. 2002;
Hanski 2005; Groom et al. 2006). According to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment …

In the face of limited funding, knowledge, and time for action, conservation efforts often rely
on shortcuts for the maintenance of biodiversity. The umbrella species concept—proposed …

Here, we outline a conceptual framework for biodiversity dynamics following environmental
change. The model incorporates lags in extinction and immigration, which lead to extinction …