original_query: What is habitat fragmentation and how does it affect organisms?
query: What is habitat fragmentation and how does it affect organisms?
answer: Habitat fragmentation is the breaking up of large, continuous habitats into smaller, isolated patches. This significantly impacts organisms by reducing available habitat, increasing isolation, creating edge effects (altered microclimates and increased vulnerability to predation), and disrupting gene flow, leading to genetic bottlenecks and increased extinction risk.