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Insular biogeography [1] or island biogeography is a field within biogeography that examines the factors that affect the species richness and diversification of isolated natural communities. The theory was originally developed to explain the pattern of the species–area relationship occurring in oceanic islands.
Frank W. Preston, an early investigator of the theory of the species–area relationship, divided it into two types: samples (a census of a contiguous habitat that grows in the census area, also called "mainland" species–area relationships), and isolates (a census of discontiguous habitats, such as islands, also called "island" species–area ...
Foster's rule, the island rule, or the island effect states that members of a species get smaller or bigger depending on the resources available in the environment. [ 28 ] [ 29 ] [ 30 ] The rule was first stated by J. Bristol Foster in 1964 in the journal Nature , in an article titled "The evolution of mammals on islands".
Oceanic islands arise due to volcanic activity or reef growth, and usually subside over time due to erosion and changing sea levels. [1] When islands emerge, they undergo the process of ecological succession as species colonize the island (see theory of island biogeography). New species cannot immigrate via land, and instead must arrive via air ...
Garganornis ballmanni, a very large fossil goose from the Gargano and Scontrone islands of the Late Miocene. Foster's rule, also known as the island rule or the island effect, is an ecogeographical rule in evolutionary biology stating that members of a species get smaller or bigger depending on the resources available in the environment.
Population ecology is a sub-field of ecology that deals with the dynamics of species populations and how these populations interact with the environment. [15] It is the study of how the population sizes of species living together in groups change over time and space, and was one of the first aspects of ecology to be studied and modelled mathematically.
The Theory of Island Biogeography is a 1967 book by the ecologist Robert MacArthur and the biologist Edward O. Wilson. [1] It is widely regarded as a seminal work in island biogeography and ecology. The Princeton University Press reprinted the book in 2001 as a part of the "Princeton Landmarks in Biology" series. [1]
The Hutchinsonian niche uses mathematics and statistics to try to explain how species coexist within a given community. The concept of ecological niche is central to ecological biogeography, which focuses on spatial patterns of ecological communities. [4] "Species distributions and their dynamics over time result from properties of the species ...