Island ecology

Island ecology studies how isolation, area, and environmental conditions shape species, communities, and ecological processes on islands.

Theory of island biogeography: A framework explaining island species richness through immigration and extinction rates that vary with island size and isolation. It formalizes how island area and distance from source populations affect species richness.
Biogeography: The study of the geographic distribution of organisms and the processes that shape it. Island ecology is a focused application of biogeographic reasoning.
Galápagos Islands: An equatorial Pacific archipelago known for distinctive endemic species and its influence on evolutionary science. Their isolation and varied habitats make them a canonical setting for island evolution.
Island tameness: Reduced fear of predators in island animals, often associated with evolutionary isolation from mammalian predators. Isolation from predators can alter animal behavior and increase vulnerability after human arrival.
Island size effect: The tendency for larger islands to support more species or distinct ecological conditions than smaller islands. Larger islands generally offer more habitats and lower extinction rates.
Metapopulation: A group of spatially separated populations connected by occasional dispersal. Islands can function as population patches linked by movement between them.
Hawaiian Islands: A volcanic archipelago in the central Pacific with exceptionally high levels of endemism. Sequentially formed islands illustrate colonization and adaptive radiation.
Invasive species: Non-native organisms that spread and cause ecological, economic, or health harm. Island communities are especially vulnerable to introduced predators, competitors, and pathogens.
Distance effect: The influence of distance between habitat patches on movement, colonization, and ecological exchange. Greater separation from mainland sources can reduce colonization of islands.
Dispersal: The movement of organisms away from their birthplace or breeding site to another location. Dispersal determines which species can reach and recolonize islands.

Linked from 15 pages