Smaller and Isolated Grassland Fragments Are Exposed to Stronger Seed and Insect Predation in Habitat Edges

Habitat fragmentation threatens terrestrial arthropod biodiversity, and thereby also leads to alterations of ecosystem functioning stability. Predation on insects seeds by arthropods are two very important ecological functions because their community-structuring effects. We addressed the effect fragment connectivity, size, edge insect seed predation arthropods. studied 60 natural fragments grassland ecosystems in same region (Hungarian Great Plain), 30 forest-steppes, burial mounds (kurgans). The size were range 0.16–6.88 ha for forest-steppe 0.01–0.44 kurgan. used 2400 sentinel preys (dummy caterpillars) 4800 trays measurements. Attack marks dummy caterpillars predator identification calculation rates. In case seeds, rates calculated as number missing or damaged per total exposed seeds. Increasing connectivity played a role only generally small kurgans, with negative edges. contrast, moderated effects large forest-steppes. difference between edges centres was more pronounced than fragments. Our study emphasizes landscape fragment-scale factors interacting shaping modified landscapes. Managing functional landscapes optimize assessment services needs multispatial scale approach.