There is also a change in functions, especially in energy and nutrient cycling and storage, as well as in water infiltration and storage. For example, the chart illustrates the substantially lower number of species found in agricultural landscapes compared with forest ecosystems in Borneo. Moreover, agricultural areas include more common species, while forest ecosystems tend to have more endemic and indigenous species. All types of conversion are not equally harmful, however. For example, some traditional agroforestry systems in Sumatra contain as much as half the species diversity found in neighboring primary forest, a level substantially higher than those of other agricultural land use systems in the area.
Agriculture can also affect biodiversity outside the areas on which it is practiced.
Common opportunistic species tend to move into areas where natural and agricultural land uses meet and displace local or endemic plants and animals. Agricultural areas frequently break up the remaining natural areas, which affects the number and types of species they can support. Management of water for agricultural purposes can substantially affect the timing, volume, and speed of water flow, and the replenishment of groundwater, altering natural aquatic and riparian habitats. Pollution by agrochemicals exacerbates these problems. Although extensive agricultural growth is the main threat, intensified cultivation of existing agricultural land can also damage the remaining biodiversity.