Global change imperils a large swath of the planet’s biodiversity, portending a future with decreasing species richness and functioning of natural ecosystems (1). However, the effects of global change are highly variable across scales (2). For example, while the data are contentious, patterns of local stability or increases in species richness have been reported globally in plants and animals (3). However, richness alone may not be the best indicator of global change (4), as the species composition of sites and the broader pool may vary significantly in response to anthropogenic pressures. In PNAS, Nowakowski et al. (5) tackle part of this conundrum empirically, surveying worldwide the impact that habitat conversion has on abundance and community assembly in amphibians.