Principles of Environmental Science 7th Edition by William Cunningham,Mary Cunningham

Exercise 13

Detecting Edge Effects
Edge effects are a fundamental consideration in nature preserves. We usually expect to find dramatic edge effects in pristine habitat with many specialized species. But you may be able to find interior-edge differences on your own college campus, or in a park or other unbuilt area near you. Here are three testable questions you can examine using your own local patch of habitat: (1) Can an edge effect be detected or not? (2) Which species will indicate the difference between edge and interior conditions? (3) At what distance can you detect a difference between edge and interior conditions? Go to Connect to find a field exercise that you can do to form and test a hypothesis regarding edge effects in your own area.