Vulnerability to habitat fragmentation: Habitat fragmentation caused by human activities has consequences for the distribution and movement of organisms. Betts et al. present a global analysis of how exposure to habitat fragmentation affects the composition of ecological communities (see the Perspective by Hargreaves). In a dataset consisting of 4489 animal species, regions that historically experienced little disturbance tended to harbor a higher proportion of species vulnerable to fragmentation. Species in more frequently disturbed regions were more resilient. High-latitude areas historically experienced more disturbance and harbor more resilient species, which suggests that extinction has removed fragmentation-sensitive species. Thus, conservation efforts to limit fragmentation are particularly important in the tropics. Science , this issue p. 1236 ; see also p. 1196

The role of trees in watershed hydrology is governed by many environmental factors along with their inherent characteristics and not surprisingly has generated diverse debates in the literature. Herein, this conceptual meta-analysis provides an opportunity to propose a conceptual model for understanding the role of trees in watershed hydrology and examine the conditions under which they can be an element that increases or decreases water supply in a watershed. To achieve this goal, this conceptual meta-analysis addressed the interaction of forest cover with climatic conditions, soil types, infiltration, siltation and erosion, water availability, and the diversity of ecological features. The novelty of the proposed conceptual model highlights that tree species and densities, climate, precipitation, type of aquifer, and topography are important factors affecting the relationships between trees and water availability. This suggests that forests can be used as a nature-based solution for conserving and managing natural resources, including water, soil, and air. To sum up, forests can reduce people’s footprint, thanks to their role in improving water and air quality, conserving soil, and other ecosystem services. The outcomes of this study should be valuable for decision-makers in understanding the types of forests that can be used in an area, following an approach of environmental sustainability and conservation aiming at restoring hydrological services, mitigating the costs of environmental services, promoting sustainable land use, managing water resources, and preserving and restoring soil water availability (SWA) when investing in reforestation for watershed hydrology, which is important for the human population and other activities.