Habitat destruction and the extinction debt revisited

摘要

An important analysis of the problem of habitat destruction concluded that such destruction may lead to an extinction debt, which is the irreversible loss of species following a prolonged transient or delay. An error in interpretation of this model led the authors to apply the results to all types of habitat destruction, but the model applies only to an across-the-board decrease in fecundity, not to disturbances. For repeated, spatially random disturbances, a different model applies. For habitat destruction on regional scales (reduction in ecosystem area without disturbance in remnant areas), one must apply species-area relations based on the distribution of different habitat types. The error in interpretation of the basic model is presented, followed by clarification of model usage and development of a new model that applies to disturbance events.