Edge effects

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Edge Effects

Edge effects (/ɛdʒ ɪˈfɛkts/), in the context of medicine and biology, refer to the changes in population or community structures that occur at the boundary of two or more habitats.

Etymology

The term "edge effects" is derived from the concept of an "edge" in ecology, which refers to the boundary or transition zone between two different ecological communities, such as a forest and a meadow. The "effects" refer to the changes in biodiversity, species distribution, and other ecological factors that occur in these edge zones.

Related Terms

  • Ecotone: An ecotone is a transition area between two biomes. It is where two communities meet and integrate. It may be narrow or wide, and it may be local (the zone between a field and forest) or regional (the transition between forest and grassland ecosystems).
  • Habitat fragmentation: Habitat fragmentation describes the emergence of discontinuities (fragmentation) in an organism's preferred environment (habitat), causing population fragmentation and ecosystem decay.
  • Biodiversity: Biodiversity refers to the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is typically a measure of variation at the genetic, species, and ecosystem level.

See Also

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