Various effects of habitat isolation on both population and community processes in small mammals are presented and discussed; numerous examples are given. Both ecological characteristics of a single patch populations (local population level) and ecological processes among habitat patches (metapopulation level) are presented. The connectivity as a parameter which measures inter-patch processes is discussed. The role of habitat barriers as "filters" structuring both populations and communities of small mammals in heterogeneous environments is presented. It is suggested that ecological processes, which are going on among patchily distributed local populations, make the metapopulation a dynamic, functional unit. Movements of individuals between habitat patches are critical to support the existence of species in a patchy, heterogeneous landscapes. For each species the temporal distribution of activity in space reflects the interactions between the temporal dynamics of the species' needs and spatio-temporal dynamics of resources. "Key habitats" play a crucial role for population existence in the dynamics of species' needs and resource supply. The increased mobility of individuals seems to be the best strategy for survival in heterogeneous landscapes. The effect of habitat isolation on genetic divergence within a metapopulation is discussed. It is suggested that the small size of discrete local populations, which temporarily go through a genetic "bottleneck" effect, and occasional migration of individuals between local populations can induce increased, long term genetic variability of the whole metapopulation. It is suggested that landscape heterogeneity and habitat fragmentation affecting the distribution of many species, can also affect interspecific interactions.
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