SLOSS debate

E2501

The SLOSS debate is an ecological controversy over whether a single large or several small habitat reserves are more effective for conserving biodiversity.


Statements (47)
Predicate Object
instanceOf biodiversity conservation debate
conservation biology concept
ecological controversy
basedOn island biogeography theory
considersFactor disturbance regimes
habitat heterogeneity
human land‑use matrix
management feasibility
species dispersal ability
currentView no universal answer exists for all taxa and landscapes
optimal reserve configuration is context dependent
discussedIn biodiversity conservation policy debates
conservation planning literature
landscape ecology textbooks
field conservation biology
ecology
island biogeography
landscape ecology
focusesOn design of nature reserves
extinction risk in habitat patches
habitat fragmentation
species richness in reserves
fullForm Single Large Or Several Small debate
hasImplicationFor forest reserve networks
land‑use planning
marine protected area networks
national park design
wildlife corridor planning
influencedBy MacArthur–Wilson island biogeography theory
involvesConcept beta diversity among patches
minimum viable population
rescue effect
several small reserves
single large reserve
species–area trade‑offs
mainQuestion whether a single large reserve or several small reserves best conserve biodiversity
originatedIn 1970s
positionA single large reserves support more species due to larger area and lower extinction rates
positionB several small reserves can protect more total species if they contain different species assemblages
relatedTo biodiversity hotspots
edge effects
extinction debt
habitat connectivity
metapopulation dynamics
protected area planning
reserve design
species–area relationship

Referenced by (2)

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