Exploring the influences of different processes of habitat fragmentation on ecosystem services

Exploring the factors influencing ecosystem services (ESs) is crucial for protecting them. Habitat fragmentation is a critical factor that has been proved to have positive or negative effects on various ESs. However, the detailed effects of different habitat fragmentation processes have not been thoroughly explored. This study aimed to explore the complicated influences of different habitat fragmentation processes on the variations in ESs, and identify the most significant influencing processes. The Yangtze River Delta region of China was selected as the study area. Three basic habitat fragmentation processes were quantified: a decrease in habitat area, an increase in habitat isolation, and an increase in habitat edge. Generalized additive models and a geographical detector were adopted to explore the influences of different fragmentation processes on the variations in the four ESs. The results suggested that different habitat fragmentation processes had linear/nonlinear/combined effects on different ESs, and the decrease in habitat area was the most significant fragmentation process. Carbon storage and habitat quality were affected significantly by habitat fragmentation. However, habitat fragmentation contributed less to the variations in water yield and soil retention, because they were more closely associated with climate factors. The influences of these fragmentation processes exhibited a positive and nonlinear interaction. These findings suggest that integrating the nonlinear effects of fragmentation in practical ESs management and landscape planning might be essential. Moreover, our study provides a fundamental reference for related research.