Island Biogeography

How do you find the species richness?

Count the number of species present in an area.

How do you find the species diversity?

Count number of species and how evenly distributed these species are.

What 4 main factors affect species richness & diversity on islands?

1. Latitude

2. Time

3. Isolation

4. Habitat Size

Biodiversity increases over time when what occurs?

Succession

What is primary succession?

Area devoid of life/soil is gradually populated by organisms for the first time.

What is an example of primary succession?

Artificial Reefs

The number of species on an island increases as the size of the island?

Increases

• bigger island = more diversity

More isolation from mainland =

less biodiversity

Equilibrium Theory of Island Biogeography

Explains how the number of species on an island is determined by a balance between immigration and extinction.

Most reptiles on San Salvador Island are

Endemic

What species most easily colonizes islands?

Birds, Bats, Insects

Isolation can result in

Speciation

Island Biogeography Theory

Explains why island have different number of species

• can be applied to larger land masses