As the human population continues to increase exponentially it becomes our responsibility to determine how our actions and mere presence affects the surrounding environment. Habitat fragmentation quickly is becoming one of most apparent and destructive manifestations of human ecological disturbance.
Succession is the gradual change in community structure and abiotic factors over time.
This process is important for the successful colonization and survivorship of all the organisms in the ecosystem. The stage of late succession is characterized by stable, and often interdependent, species relationships. Early successional stages on the other hand are subject to constant change and are characterized by short life spans and high reproductive output of it's inhabitants. Therefore, the forest remnants, created by fragmentation, often show changes in the behavior, distribution, and number of indigenous species, as well as changes in abiotic factors. The break in continuity also increases susceptibility to invasion by exotic or foreign species.