Theory 80/River & Floodplain/River fragmentation
Fragmentation Tips on Dams
The claim
Riverine fish metapopulations collapse above a threshold in dam density, because barriers fragment the network faster than recolonisation can compensate.
01Mechanism
Barriers reduce connectivity; when spacing falls below the recolonisation distance, local extinctions accumulate.
02Prediction
Collapse should track dam density.
03Refutation
Collapse tracking total habitat loss would remove connectivity.