Habitat loss is one of main threats to biodiversity worldwide and in general is perceived as something to be avoided. However, the prevalence of negative effects of forest fragmentation is less clear. Fragmentation creates edges between once-pristine forest and the adjacent non-forest system or systems (for example, agricultural lands, cities or water reservoirs), but the effects of these edges on biodiversity are not always clear. By performing a robust study of the interaction between insect pollinators and flowering plants at forest edges and within the forest, Ren et al.1 add a new piece to this puzzle by showing that forest edges can have a positive buffering effect on interaction networks.
Source: Ecology - nature.com
