146
I
sland, or insular, biogeography
examines the factors that
affect the species richness of
isolated natural communities.
Charles Darwin, Alfred Russel
Wallace, and other naturalists had
written about island flora and fauna
in the 19th century. Their studies
were conducted on actual islands
in the ocean, but the same methods
can be used to look at any patch
of suitable habitat surrounded by
unfavorable environment that
limits the dispersal of individuals.
Examples include oases in the
desert, cave systems, city parks in
an urban environment, freshwaterISLAND BIOGEOGRAPHY
Mangrove-fringed islands in the
Florida Keys—now protected for their
diverse range of marine and terrestrial
life—were the focus of research to test
the island biogeography theory.IN CONTEXT
KEY FIGURES
Robert H. MacArthur
(1930 –72), Edward O. Wilson
(1929 –)BEFORE
1948 Canadian lepidopterist
Eugene Munroe suggests a
correlation between island
size and butterfly diversity in
the Caribbean.AFTER
1971–78 In the US, biologist
James H. Brown studies
mammal and bird species
variety on forest “islands” in
the Great Basin of California
and Utah.2006 Canadian biologists
Attila Kalmar and David Currie
study bird populations on
346 oceanic islands and
discover that species variety
depends on climate as well as
area and isolation.Unless we preserve
the rest of life, as a
sacred duty, we will be
endangering ourselves
by destroying the home
in which we evolved.
Edward O. Wilsonpools within a dry landscape, or
fragments of mountain forest
between nonforested valleys.
In the mid-20th century,
ecologists began more intensive
studies into species distribution
on different islands, and how and
why they varied. In the US,
biologists Edward Wilson and
Robert MacArthur constructed the
first mathematical model of theUS_144-149_Island_biogeography.indd 146 12/11/18 6:25 PM