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Islands Biogeography
(Biogeografi Pulau)
Island Biogeography
In the science of biogeography, the
island is the first unit that the mind can
pick out and begin to comprehend. By
studying clusters of islands, biologists
view a simpler microcosm of the
seemingly infinite complexity of
continental and oceanic biogeography.
Robert H. Mac Arthur and Edward O.
Wilson (1967)
Continental/Landbridge Islands
Connected to mainland during
glacials
Oceanic Islands
Never connected to continent;
Usually formed by volcanic activity;
Usually separated from continent by
deep ocean.
Hotspot islands
Chain of islands
A.
Island
Continent
Submerged Land Bridge
Continental Shelf
Former
Sea
Level
1. British Isles
2. California Channel Islands
3. Tasmania
4. Penang
Continental Islands:
Two Unusual Cases
1. San Salvadors offshore cays: Rising sea level caused
erosion of San Salvador, leaving many small, erosionResistant islands, or cays (keys).
Continental
Shelf
Former Sea
Level
Sea Floor
Undersea
Volcano
Iceland
Japan
Aleutians
Bermuda
Caribbean Islands
Hawaiian Islands
South Pacific Atolls
Et al.
Source: Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_tectonics
http://www.math.montana.edu/~nmp/materials/ess/geosphere/advanced/activities/hotspots/index.html
Predation
Herbivory
Mortality due to disease/parasites
Short life span
Species Diversity
More
species on
bigger
islands
Fewer
species on
more
isolated
islands
Some flying
animals, such as
birds and bats, are
capable of reaching
even very distant
islands.
Area
Sp
Area
Species
S=c
Az
Area
S cA
S = species richness
c = constant, regionally specific
richness
A = sampling plot size
z = constant, shape of curve (slope)
Species
c=1
c=1 z=0.25
z=0.25
Area
Area
(km2)
Species
10
100
1000
10000
10
Species-Area Curve
S = cAz
C=
constant
A = area
z = 0.25
Log Species
S
S=
= cc
zz
A
A
Log
Log S
S=
= Log
Log cc +
+ zz
log
log A
A
Log Area
Reptiles on Islands
MacDonald 2001
MacArthur R.H.
&Wilson
&WilsonE.O.
E.O.1967
1967
The
Thetheory
theoryof
ofisland
island
biogeography.
biogeography.
Princeton
PrincetonUniv.
Univ.Press.
Press.
Number of species on an
island
Theory of Island
Biogeography
MacArthur and Wilson 1963,
1967
Number of species
on islands is
determined via a
balance of
extinction and
immigration
(colonization)
Island Size
Richness = island size and distance
from mainland
Small islands
Less habitat
Smaller populations
Higher rates of extinction (intra,interspecific competition)
Island Distance
Richness = island size and distance
from mainland
Distant islands
Lower rates of colonization
However, this does depend on dispersal
mechanism of the species!
Important Concepts
Equilibrium number of
species, but constant
turnover
Migration slows as
richness increases
Extinction increases
with richness
Equilibrium = rate of
extinction, rate of
colonization intersect
Colonization balances
extinction
Number of Species
Number of Species
Immigration
rate
Number of Species
Immigration
rate
Near
mainland
Far
Number of Species
Small island
Immigration rate
Large
Far
Number of Species
Extinction rate
Near
Island Size
Richness = island size and distance
from mainland
Small islands
Less habitat
Smaller populations
Higher rates of extinction (intra,interspecific competition)
Island Distance
Richness = island size and distance
from mainland
Distant islands
Lower rates of colonization
When a new
island forms,
species begin to
colonize. As
more and more
species
accumulate, the
colonization rate
begins to
decline. The
extinction rate,
on the other
hand, begins to
increase with
increasing
At some
point, the
two
processes
balance each
other, and
the number
of species on
the island
should
stabilize.
This
equilibrium
number is
known as S
(mainland)
or an
oceanic island.
colonization
local extinction
succession
disturbance