What Are Habitat Loss and Fragmentation? Examples Using Impacts on UK Reptiles | Scientific Concepts

What do the terms habitat loss and fragmentation mean? How are these occurrences impacting reptiles in the UK? In this video I explain these concepts and describe how they are impacting each of our native reptiles - the common lizard, sand lizard, slow worm, smooth snake, adder, and grass snake. As always, if you have any questions about anything I talk about then please leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer it!

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Video Contents:
0:00 - Intro
0:45 - What is a habitat?
1:37 - What is habitat loss?
3:07 - What is habitat fragmentation?
7:53 - Impacts on UK wildlife
9:47 - Common lizard
11:12 - Sand lizard
12:31 - Slow worm
13:37 - Grass snake
14:52 - Adder
15:44 - Smooth snake
17:15 - Reversing the impacts
19:03 - The bigger picture

Research referenced:
Environmental Audit Committee. 2021. Biodiversity in the UK: bloom or bust? (HC 136, 2021-22).
Chetcuti, J. et al. (2020). Habitat Fragmentation Increases Overall Richness, but Not of Habitat-Dependent Species. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. 8, 1-12.
Webb, N.R. (1989). Studies on the invertebrate fauna of fragmented heathland in Dorset, UK, and the implications for conservation. Biological Conservation. 47(2), 153-165.
Gardner, E. (2019). The effect of woodland area on avian community composition in a fragmented southern UK landscape and associated management recommendations. Bird Study. 66(3), 293-305.
Riutta, T. et al. (2014). Living on the edge: quantifying the structure of a fragmented forest landscape in England. Landscape Ecology. 29, 949-961.
Graitson, E. (2007). 'Le Lézard vivipare Zootoca vivipara (Jacquin, 1758)'. in Jean-Paul, J. et al. Amphibiens et Reptiles de Wallonie. 234-243.
Vanlauwe, L. (2016-17). Population densities of the common lizard (Zootoca vivipara) in restored heathlands. Universiteit Antwerpen.
Farren, A. (2010). Distribution of the common lizard (Zootoca vivipara) and landscape favourability for the species in Northern Ireland. Amphibia-Reptilia. 31, 387-394.
Jackson, H.C. (1979). The decline of the sand lizard, Lacerta agilis L. population on the sand dunes of the Merseyside coast, England. Biological Conservation. 16(3), 177-193.
Harrison, V.L. (2018). Evaluating survey design and long-term population trends in slow-worms (Anguis fragilis). Master of Science by Research (MScRes) thesis, University of Kent.
Smith, N.D. (1990). The ecology of the slow-worm (Anguis Fragilis L.) in Southern England. University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.
Geiser, C. (2011). Effect of habitat fragmentation on the genetic structure of slow-worm (Anguis fragilis) populations. Université de Genève, Master thesis.
Meister, B. et al. (2012). Grass snake population differentiation over different geographic scales. Herpetologica. 68(1), 134-145.
Meister, B. et al. (2010). Spatial genetic analysis of the grass snake, Natrix natrix (Squamata: Colubridae), in an intensively used agricultural landscape. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 101(1), 51-58.
Madsen, T. et al. (2004). Novel genes continue to enhance population growth in adders (Vipera berus). Biological Conservation. 120(1), 145-147.
Ursenbacher, S. (2008). Limited genetic diversity and high differentiation among the remnant adder (Vipera berus) populations in the Swiss and French Jura Mountains. Conservation Genetics. 10(2), 303-315.
Pernetta, A.P. (2009). Population ecology and conservation genetics of the smooth snake (Coronella austriaca) in a fragmented heath landscape. University of Southampton, Doctoral thesis.
Pernetta, A.P. (2011). Fine-scale population genetic structure and sex-biased dispersal in the smooth snake (Coronella austriaca) in southern England. Heredity. 107, 231-238.