The Edge Effect: A Challenge in Landscape Ecology

             The scenery is compost of matrix, spot and corridors. These three elements are considered the landscape mosaic. Those elements compose the fragments, and we know that isolated fragments have negative effects for local biodiversity, leaving the animals more susceptible to threats from predators such as the human action. The vegetation to be grouped in smaller amount is also more exposed to the action of fire, wind and anthropogenic causes. Other thing is that fragments create an environment without interaction, i.e. with genetic homogenization. Finally, a landscape that contains many fragments has a greater influence of the edge effect.
             The edge effect depends on the size and shape of forest fragments. It is smaller in larger remnants and closer to circular. As the edge effect can become, in a gross generalization, 100 meters inside, forest remaining under this value in width or diameter can be "entirely edge", and require more complicated techniques of conservation. The forest areas near the border with the outside end up getting brighter, warmer and drier. And forest species respond in different ways to this phenomenon. Some do not support low humidity, for example, but eventually other benefit, as some species of vines. Thus, the natural balance is compromised and there may be loss of species. An additional danger is advancing edge into the interior, with tree mortality, which besides the vines is more vulnerable to drought and wind. Causing a change in structure, composition and/or the relative abundance of species in the marginal part of a fragment.
             The vegetation that is on the edge has more probability to suffer with fife, compere with the vegetation on the interior of the fragment. The edge is over directly influences external to the forest actions. With that your humidity is lower; the wind action is more significant. These factors contribute to fire spread in these locations. Where those elements are more effectives the edges acted as corridors for fire spread and were capable of ˜ ˜pulling'' fires in a certain direction.