Topic 2.3: Theory of Island Biogeography

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts of island biogeography, species richness trends based on island size and distance, colonizing behaviors, and adaptive radiation.

Island Biogeography

The study of ecological relationships and community structure on islands.

Habitat Island

A natural habitat surrounded by an urban or developed human environment that functions like an island because it is surrounded by uninhabitable space for most species.

Colonizers

Organisms that move from the mainland and take up residence on an island to establish a new population.

Colonize

The process of a population moving from the mainland to a new island ecosystem or habitat that they have not occupied before.

Positive Correlation (Island Size & Species Richness)

A linear relationship where an increase in island size leads to an increase in the number of species found on that island.

Inverse Relationship (Distance & Species Richness)

A relationship where as the distance from the island to the mainland increases, the species richness on the island decreases.

Adaptive Radiation

A process where a single species rapidly evolves into several new species to use different resources, such as food, in order to reduce competition.

Galapagos Finch Evolution

An example of adaptive radiation where a common ancestor from the mainland colonized the Galapagos Islands and evolved into multiple distinct species with different beak sizes suited to distinct food resources.