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We present observational evidence of environmental effects on the formationand evolution of planetary systems. We combine catalogues of resolvedprotoplanetary discs (PPDs) and young stellar objects in the solarneighbourhood to analyse the PPD size distribution as a function of ambientstellar density. By running Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests between the PPD radii atdifferent densities, we find empirical evidence, at the >97% confidence level,for a change in the PPD radius distribution at ambient stellar densities \Sigma> 10^{3.5} pc^{-2}. This coincides with a simple theoretical estimate for thetruncation of PPDs or planetary systems by dynamical encounters. If thisagreement is causal, the ongoing disruption of PPDs and planetary systemslimits the possible existence of planets in the habitable zone, with shorterlifetimes at higher host stellar masses and ambient densities. Therefore,habitable planets are not likely to be present in long-lived stellar clusters,and may have been ejected altogether to form a population of unbound,free-floating planets. We conclude that, while highly suggestive, our resultsshould be verified through other methods. Our simple model shows thattruncations should lead to a measurable depletion of the PPD mass function thatcan be detected with ALMA observations of the densest nearby and youngclusters.

Can habitable planets form in clustered environments?