The resulting fragmentation is particularly harmful to wide ranging species that rely on large territories to draw food and cover. Young adults of a species have nowhere to go when they move away from their maternal dens and are unable to establish territories and raise families of their own. Without adequate continuous habitat, a population of large, wide-ranging animals, such as the Florida panther , will eventually disappear from an area, with harmful ripple effects felt throughout the ecosystem. View a map showing how roads and canals have fragmented the panther's habitat in Florida. Sprawl inevitably translates into more and wider roads.
Roads block migration routes, cut off wildlife from food sources and otherwise fragment habitat.
Many species either avoid roads, like the bald eagle, or are unable to cross roads, like the desert tortoise . In either case, the presence of a road or outlying development renders otherwise useable habitat useless for many threatened species. The most harmful effect of roads, though, is that they open up previously undisturbed habitat and open space to more development. Once a road is built, the land along side it becomes more valuable and more accessible for sprawl-type development. New subdivisions and commercial strip malls pop up and more habitat is lost or fragmented.