Insular biogeography

Insular biogeography studies the distribution and diversity of organisms on islands. It examines how island area, isolation, colonization, and extinction shape species communities.

Equilibrium theory of island biogeography: A model explaining island species richness through balancing immigration and extinction rates. It formalizes how island size and distance affect species richness.
Conservation biogeography: The application of biogeographical knowledge to biodiversity conservation and management. It uses island patterns to guide decisions about protected areas and species persistence.
Robert MacArthur: A Canadian-American ecologist whose work helped establish modern theoretical ecology. His collaboration with Wilson shaped the equilibrium model of island species richness.
Habitat heterogeneity: Variation in environmental conditions and habitat types within a landscape. Diverse island habitats can explain richness beyond area and isolation alone.
Island gigantism: The evolution of unusually large body size in species living on islands. Reduced competition or predation can alter body-size evolution in isolated communities.
Species–area relationship: The empirical pattern that larger areas generally contain more species. Island area predicts richness, though the relationship does not specify the underlying processes.
Habitat fragmentation: The division of continuous habitat into smaller, more isolated patches. Fragmented habitat patches often function like islands surrounded by unsuitable land.
E. O. Wilson: An American biologist known for research on ants, biodiversity, and sociobiology. His island studies and collaboration with MacArthur helped establish the theory.
Island endemism: The occurrence of species native to and restricted to a particular island or island group. Unique island species reflect evolutionary history that richness models do not fully capture.
Island dwarfism: The evolution of unusually small body size in island populations of large-bodied species. Limited resources and altered ecological pressures can favor smaller size.

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