What is habitat fragmentation?

• A. Expansion of habitat area through restoration.
• B. Breakup of a habitat into smaller pieces, usually as a result of human activities.
• C. No change in habitat area.
• D. Seasonal migrations create new habitats.

Answer: (B)

Habitat fragmentation is when a once-continuous habitat is broken up into smaller, isolated patches, usually because of human activities like deforestation, road construction, farming, or urban development. This breaking apart changes how species move, mate, and find food, because many organisms depend on traveling between connected areas. When patches are smaller and separated, gene flow declines, populations become more vulnerable to local extinction, and edge effects change the conditions at habitat boundaries (for example, more sunlight, wind, and invasive species at the edges). Over time, the community composition can shift toward species that tolerate edges rather than those that need large, uninterrupted interior habitat. The option described fits this breakup into smaller pieces caused by human actions, whereas expansion through restoration, no change in area, or new habitats from seasonal migrations don’t capture the idea of breaking apart existing habitat.