Island biogeography is an important subject for
several reasons. First, it has been and remains a
field which feeds ideas, theories, models, and tests
of same into ecology, evolutionary biology, and bio-
geography. This is because islands provide natural
scientists with model systems—replicated and sim-
plified contexts—allowing us to isolate particular
factors and processes and to explore their effects.
Secondly, some of these theories have had great
weight placed upon them in applications in nature
conservation, as scientists and conservationists
attempt to understand, predict and manage the bio-
diversity impacts of habitat loss and fragmentation.
Thirdly, in our modern age of anthropogenic extinc-
tions, islands qualify as ‘hotspots’: combining the
attributes of high levels of unique biodiversity, of
recent species extinctions, and of likely future
species losses. The protection of the unique biolog-
ical features of island ecosystems presents us with a
considerable challenge, not only ecologically, but
also because of the fragmented nature of the
resource, scattered across all parts of the globe and
all political systems, and generally below the hori-
zons of even global media networks. It is our hope
that this book will foster an increased interest in
island ecology, evolution, and conservation and
that it will be of value for students and researchers
working in the fields of the life and environmental
sciences.
This second edition is built upon the foundations
of the first edition but has been substantially reor-
ganized and updated to reflect what we consider
the most important developments in island bio-
geography over the last decade. As will become
evident to those who dip into this volume, we cover
a great deal more than the biology of the systems.
Indeed, we have expanded our coverage of the
developmental history and environmental dynamics
of islands in this second edition. Much fascinating
new work has been published in this arena, and it
is proving to be fundamental to improving our
understanding of island evolution and ecology.
Another feature of this revision is the inclusion
of a great deal of material on the island region of
Macaronesia (the Happy Islands), and particularly
of the Canaries. These islands are the Atlantic equiva-
lent of Hawaii and the Galápagos, providing a rich
mix of geological and evolutionary–ecological
insights on the one hand and biodiversity conser-
vation problems on the other. Much new and excit-
ing work has been published on these islands since
the first edition of this book was written, and we
were keen to bring some of this work to the atten-
tion of a wider audience of students and scholars.
Island biogeography is a dynamic field. Whilst
many ideas and themes have long pedigrees, new
ideas, and insights continue to be generated, often
building on long-running debates. We have
attempted to reflect the diversity of viewpoints and
interpretations within the field, although inevitably
the selection of material reflects our own biases and
interests.
There are many people we would like to thank,
not least our students and the members of our
research groups, with whom we have enjoyed illu-
minating discussions on many island themes. Ian
Sherman, our editor at OUP, provided encourage-
ment, help, and good advice at all stages of the
project, and we thank him, Stefanie Gehrig, and
their colleagues at the Press, for all their efforts. We
thank the following colleagues for variously com-
menting on draft material, supplying answers to
queries, and discussion of ideas: Gregory H. Adler,
Rubén Barone, Paulo Borges, Pepe Carrillo, James
H. Brown, Juan Domingo Delgado, Lawrence
Heaney, Scott Henderson, Paco Hernán, Joaquínv