Kipukas have not been subjected to grazing or cheatgrass invasion and have had very low fire frequency since their isolation. Kipuka patches represent a naturally fragmented habitat mosaic. Agriculture in southeastern Idaho has also produced many habitat patches. Sage-steppe patches are found within agricultural fields in areas where farmers are unable to till the soil. Since the initiation of agriculture these patches have experienced disturbances such as grazing, fire, and cheatgrass invasion.
Agricultural patches represent habitat that is both degraded and fragmented.
Third, kipukas surrounded by a harsh matrix will have a reduced diversity at high isolation. Agricultural patches of equal distance will have higher densities because a more permeable matrix surrounds them. However, at lower isolation distances diversity will be higher on kipuka patches than on agricultural patches due to the influence of habitat quality. Using a GIS database I have selected 25 patches at isolation distances ranging from 30 to 3000m. All patches are between 0.5 and 1.5 hectares.