210 Islands

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Island Ecology An island is any area of suitable habitat surrounded by an expanse unsuitable habitat. NUNATAK (Habitat Island) Peak surrounded by glaciers but not itself glaciated Merrit Lyndon Fernald The basin and range province in Nevada is an example of such a habitat island.

description

islands for ecology 2

Transcript of 210 Islands

Island'Ecology

An#island#is#any#area#of#

suitable#habitat#

surrounded#by#an#expanse#

unsuitable#habitat.

NUNATAK'(Habitat'Island)

• Peak#surrounded#by#glaciers

• #but#not#itself#glaciated

• Merrit#Lyndon#Fernald

The#basin#and#range#province#in#Nevada#is#an#example#

of#such#a#habitat#island.

Three'types'of'Islands

Oceanic

Volcanic

Con@nental

Oceanic'Islands:##Never#connected#to#conAnent;#usually#formed#by#volcanic#acAvity#

and#isolated#from#conAnent#by#deep#ocean.

Con@nental'Shelf

Current'Sea'Level

Former'Sea'Level!

Oceanic'Island!

Sea'Floor

UnderseaVolcano

Examples'of'Oceanic'Islands

•#Iceland

•#Japan

•#AleuAans

•#Bermuda

•#Caribbean#Islands

•#Hawaiian#Islands

•#South#Pacific#Atolls

•#Et#al.

Many#Caribbean#islands#were#formed#by#volcanic#

acAvity#at#subducAon#zone.

Chilean palm (Jubaea chilensis)

Con@nental'Islands:""Formed"on"con+nent;"may"have"formerly"been"connected"to"mainland"by"land'bridge:Indonesia

Current'Sea'Level

Con@nental'Shelf

Con@nent

Submerged'Land'Bridge

Former'Sea'Level

Island

Island'flora'&'fauna

Con@nental

Biota&subset&of&con.nent

Natural&selec.on

specia.on

Island'flora'&'fauna

Oceanic

Founder'effect

Progressive&dispersal

Sophora

ENZED

Two'methods

Dispersal

Vicariance

Various'ways

Con@nental'raOs

Nunataks

Organisms'present'during'the'Cretaceous'(vicariant'groups)'

dinosaurs

Peripatus

Ra@tes

snails

Dispersal'problem

Adapta@on

For'dispersal

Not'usually'survival

Some#plants#have#

developed#seeds#or#fruits#

that#can#be#carried#in#the#

sea#without#being#

harmed.##

Dispersal'problem

Propagules

Founders!of!the!“Island!Biogeography”!

Robert'MacArthur'and'Edward'O.'Wilson'coined'the'term'“Theory'of'Island'Biogeography”'as'this'theory'aXempted'to'predict'the'number'of'species'that'would'exist'on''newly'created'island.

E.O.!Wilson!!and!Robert!MacArthur

Island'life

More'hazards

Less'area

Island'Biogeography:Species'richness'and'island'size

Small'island Less'species

Islands'and'ex@nc@on

More'likely

Small'pops

Founder'effect

Originally&adapted&for&where?

Less'richness depauperate

Island'richness

Not'@meE.O.!Wilson!!and!Robert!MacArthur

Special'equilibrium

ex@nc@on'and'coloniza@on.

Theory

species'richness'decreases'with'distance'from'mainland.

Theory

Larger'islands'should'have'more'

species

Theory

Islands'closer'to'mainland'should'have'more'species

Higher'immigra@on

ImmigraAon#rate#

decreases#as#island#

diversity#increases#

ExAncAon#increases#as#

island#diversity#increases#

Species#equilibrium#on#

islands#is#a#balance#of#

immigraAon#and#local#

exAncAon

Equilibrium#Theory#of#Island#Biogeography

Islands#further#from#

mainland#have#lower#

immigraAon#rates

More#distant#islands#have#

lower#species#diversity

Equilibrium#Theory#of#Island#Biogeography

Smaller islands have lower total populations

Probability of extinction increases with lower population

Smaller islands have lower species diversity

Theory of Island Biogeography

Biogeography'Theory'in'a'NutshellEquilibrium#number#of#

species,#but#constant#

turnover

Migra.on#slows#as#richness#increases

Ex.nc.on#increases#with#richness

Equilibrium#=#rate#of#

exAncAon,#rate#of#

colonizaAon#intersect

Coloniza.on&balances&ex.nc.on

Equilibrium"no."of"species

Island'richness

Habitats'not'area

Edge'effects

Blend'of'habitats

On&islands,&ini.ally,&more&sites&available,&some&similar&to&those&of&the&ancestors&and&some&totally&different&leading&to&

specia.on

More'isolated

Harder'to'get'to

= Less'species

Endemism

High

All'Hawaiian'birds

Higher'in'NZ

Endemism

80%&of&all&vascular&plants

70%&of&all&birds

Na.ve&species

All&na.ve&mammals

All&na.ve&rep.les&and&Amphibs

90%&of&all&fresh&water&fish

Island'Rules

Small'gets'big

Big'gets'small

Viola#spp

Island'Rules

flightless

fearless

plants'dioecious

Flightless

Ra@tes

Parrots

wrens

Shags

grasshoppers

Animal#SpecialAes.

• Flightlessness#conserved#energy#in#cold#

condiAons#and#could#flourish#in#the#absence#of#

terrestrial#mammal#predators.

• GiganAsm#is#another#adapAve#feature#

favouring#heat#retenAon.

• Melanism#also#favours#heat#retenAon#and#

energy#conservaAon.

Island'Rulesgroups'under'represented

ecologically