Anthropogenic Habitat Loss and Fragmentation May Alter Coevolutionary Progress as Examined in a Brood Parasitism Model

ABSTRACT Habitat loss and fragmentation (HLF) resulting from anthropogenic disturbances is one of the greatest threats to numerous threatened taxa facing extinction risks. HLF may devastate biodiversity through various pathways such as restricting animal movement and gene flow, reducing opportunitie...

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Main Authors: Wei Wang, Timothy Van Deelen, Fuwen Wei, Sheng Li, Luping Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-07-01
Series:Ecology and Evolution
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71721
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author Wei Wang
Timothy Van Deelen
Fuwen Wei
Sheng Li
Luping Wang
author_facet Wei Wang
Timothy Van Deelen
Fuwen Wei
Sheng Li
Luping Wang
author_sort Wei Wang
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT Habitat loss and fragmentation (HLF) resulting from anthropogenic disturbances is one of the greatest threats to numerous threatened taxa facing extinction risks. HLF may devastate biodiversity through various pathways such as restricting animal movement and gene flow, reducing opportunities for species to expand or shift their ranges and thus optimizing habitat use, and directly causing population decline and range contraction. Despite these well‐documented impacts, the effects of HLF on the coevolutionary processes between coexisting species are rarely examined. In this study, we constructed a cuckoo–host brood parasitism model to explore how HLF of varied degrees may affect the cuckoo–host population dynamics through stochastic and reinforcement simulations. The results, validated with empirical data, revealed that severe HLF significantly increases the cuckoo's extinction risk compared to moderate HLF. Furthermore, severe HLF narrows the range of host rejection rates that allow cuckoo populations to persist under natural conditions. These findings suggest that severe HLF, typically driven by human activities and anthropogenic land use change, may not only directly increase the extinction risk of specific species but also disrupt the coevolutionary interactions, posing more severe ecological consequences than previously anticipated.
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spelling doaj-art-3c70d93c477548eda21dc5e66f213bbc2025-08-20T03:08:40ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582025-07-01157n/an/a10.1002/ece3.71721Anthropogenic Habitat Loss and Fragmentation May Alter Coevolutionary Progress as Examined in a Brood Parasitism ModelWei Wang0Timothy Van Deelen1Fuwen Wei2Sheng Li3Luping Wang4Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology University of Wisconsin‐Madison Madison Wisconsin USADepartment of Forest and Wildlife Ecology University of Wisconsin‐Madison Madison Wisconsin USACollege of Forestry Jiangxi Agricultural University Nanchang ChinaState Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Modulation Research, School of Life Sciences Peking University Beijing ChinaDepartment of Forest and Wildlife Ecology University of Wisconsin‐Madison Madison Wisconsin USAABSTRACT Habitat loss and fragmentation (HLF) resulting from anthropogenic disturbances is one of the greatest threats to numerous threatened taxa facing extinction risks. HLF may devastate biodiversity through various pathways such as restricting animal movement and gene flow, reducing opportunities for species to expand or shift their ranges and thus optimizing habitat use, and directly causing population decline and range contraction. Despite these well‐documented impacts, the effects of HLF on the coevolutionary processes between coexisting species are rarely examined. In this study, we constructed a cuckoo–host brood parasitism model to explore how HLF of varied degrees may affect the cuckoo–host population dynamics through stochastic and reinforcement simulations. The results, validated with empirical data, revealed that severe HLF significantly increases the cuckoo's extinction risk compared to moderate HLF. Furthermore, severe HLF narrows the range of host rejection rates that allow cuckoo populations to persist under natural conditions. These findings suggest that severe HLF, typically driven by human activities and anthropogenic land use change, may not only directly increase the extinction risk of specific species but also disrupt the coevolutionary interactions, posing more severe ecological consequences than previously anticipated.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71721behavior adaptationbrood parasitismcoevolutionhabitat loss and fragmentationstochastic simulation
spellingShingle Wei Wang
Timothy Van Deelen
Fuwen Wei
Sheng Li
Luping Wang
Anthropogenic Habitat Loss and Fragmentation May Alter Coevolutionary Progress as Examined in a Brood Parasitism Model
Ecology and Evolution
behavior adaptation
brood parasitism
coevolution
habitat loss and fragmentation
stochastic simulation
title Anthropogenic Habitat Loss and Fragmentation May Alter Coevolutionary Progress as Examined in a Brood Parasitism Model
title_full Anthropogenic Habitat Loss and Fragmentation May Alter Coevolutionary Progress as Examined in a Brood Parasitism Model
title_fullStr Anthropogenic Habitat Loss and Fragmentation May Alter Coevolutionary Progress as Examined in a Brood Parasitism Model
title_full_unstemmed Anthropogenic Habitat Loss and Fragmentation May Alter Coevolutionary Progress as Examined in a Brood Parasitism Model
title_short Anthropogenic Habitat Loss and Fragmentation May Alter Coevolutionary Progress as Examined in a Brood Parasitism Model
title_sort anthropogenic habitat loss and fragmentation may alter coevolutionary progress as examined in a brood parasitism model
topic behavior adaptation
brood parasitism
coevolution
habitat loss and fragmentation
stochastic simulation
url https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71721
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