Elsevier eBooks · 2019

How Consideration of Islands Has Inspired Mainstream Ecology: Links Between the Theory of Island Biogeography and Some Other Key Theories

Warren B.H., Ricklefs R.E., Thebaud C., Gravel D., Mouquet N.

doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-409548-9.11788-9
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Key Message

The 50th anniversary of the theory of island biogeography (IBT) has renewed interest in island biology, highlighting the often overlooked breadth of its influence in modern ecology.

Here, we summarize key links between IBT and subsequent developments, including extensions of the original model to incorporate greater biological complexity and its role in inspiring other major frameworks such as metapopulation theory and ecological neutral theory.

Using examples like habitat fragmentation and life-history evolution, we argue that a major legacy of IBT lies in shaping and unifying ecological thinking.

Figure from Warren et al. 2019
This diagram shows the influence that the size of an island and its distance from the mainland has on the amount of immigration and species richness of the island. It can be seen that a larger island close to the mainland has the most species richness and a smaller one far from the mainland has the least. Lindsayt18 - Own work CC BY-SA 4.0
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