III.

Island Biogeography
III. Island Biogeography

Biogeography: The study of the

distribution of organisms in space and
time.
 Biogeography looks at four fundamental
processes:
1. Dispersal: Movement of organism(s) from a point of origin (=
location of source, or ancestral, population) to a new location.
2. Colonization: Organism reaches new location, survives,
reproduces, and establishes new population.
3. Extinction: Species is eliminated from a particular area (i.e., no
more reproducing individuals present); species may survive
elsewhere, and may re-colonize area where it went extinct.
4. Evolution: Surviving population in a particular area undergoes
change(s) in frequency of gene alleles; may result in altered
phenotype, and, given sufficient time, possibly the formation
of new species (= speciation).
Islands are important natural laboratories for the
study of biogeography, ecology, population
genetics, evolutionary biology, etc.
Early naturalists (e.g., 16th-18th centuries)
exploring isolated islands noted new types
of plants and animals, which were often
distinctive for each island or island group.

For several centuries, scientific focus was on

cataloging the diversity of island organisms.
Darwin observed dozens of animal
species unique to the Galapagos
…including 13 species of
Galapagos Finches
1859 - Publication of “On the Origin of
Species”
Darwin speculated on possible means
by which organisms colonized islands
and evolved into new species (e.g.,
Galapagos finches)
1883 - Eruption of Krakatau (Krakatoa), a
volcanic island in Indonesia (Aug. 26-27).
Half of Krakatau was blown away; remaining
portion, Rakata (a volcanic cone), plus
neighboring islands, left covered with
30-60 m of pumice and ash (= sterile
landscape?).
Rakata and adjacent islands formed a
laboratory for study of island colonization
and tropical succession:

• May 1884 - first researchers

reach the islands; find only a
spider in a crevice on the south
side of Rakata.

• October 1884 - grass shoots

growing on Rakata.
1886 - Botanists, and later zoologists, begin
monitoring colonization of Rakata:
• nine species of flowering plants present on
beaches;
1897 - 23 species of flowing plants present;
• development of coastal forest provided seeds
and fruits for colonizing bats and birds;
• ferns (with spores that can be dispersed by
wind) were first colonizers away from the
coast;
1908 - 46 species of flowing plants
and 13 species of birds present;

1934 - 30 species of birds present; but,

at least 5 bird species present in early
20th century were now extinct on
Rakata;
• ~ 50% of inland plant species on Rakata
in 1897 have become extinct; however,

• since 1934, 16 additional families of

higher plants have colonized.
• colonization by new plant species
was initially high, then dropped as
available space became occupied by
pioneer species;
• immigration rate then increased as
developing forests created new
habitat (= potential new ecological
niches);
• as forests replaced grasslands,
grasses, and insects and birds
dependent on grasses, became extinct
on island.
Biogeographical lessons from Krakatau:

Composition of plant and animal communities

at any given time reflect

• colonization
• local extinction
• succession
• disturbance
 Recent studies* have re-evaluated
ecological succession and extinctions
on Rakata and adjacent islands since
1883:

• Most plant extinctions have been

species introduced by people, and rare
or ephemeral species;

• Few naturally colonizing and

established species have become
extinct.

*e.g., Whittaker, R.J. et al. 1992 GeoJournal 28.2: 201-211.

Whittaker, R.J. et al. 2000, J. Biogeograpy 27(5):1049-1064
 More recently, island biogeographers
have begun focusing on patterns and
mechanisms of evolution of island
flora and fauna.

Dr. Koning will discuss this…stay tuned

Types of Islands
 A. Continental Islands: Formed on
continent; may have formerly been
connected to mainland by land bridge:

Island
Current Sea Level

Former
Sea Level
Continent
Submerged Land Bridge

Continental Shelf
Examples of Continental Islands

1. British Isles
2. California Channel Islands
3. Block Island, Nantucket, Martha’s
Vineyard
British Isles: Land mass is part of European
continent. During the last ice age, Britain was
connected to Europe by a plateau called Doggerland.

QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

Doggerland

Source: New Scientist, 8 Nov. 2008

 As Ice Age ended, rising sea level flooded
Doggerland and formed English Channel.

Dogger Bank, an
upland area of
North Sea Doggerland,
outlined in red.

England
France
California Channel Islands: Group of eight islands

off the California coast; during last ice age, some

were connected to mainland by land bridge.
Block Island, Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard:
Coastal wedge sediment islands formed by glacial
deposits (terminal/recessional moraines); probably
no dry, passable connection to mainland since last
Ice Age. Long Island is also of this type.

QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

Click to Play Animation

http://www.uwsp.edu/gEo/faculty/lemke/glacial_processes/MoraineMovie.html
 Continental Islands:
Two Unusual Cases

1. San Salvador’s offshore cays: Rising sea level caused

erosion of San Salvador, leaving many small, erosion-
Resistant islands, or cays (“keys”).
Cays on the horizon (arrow) were once
part of San Salvador.
 Continental Islands:
Two Unusual Cases

1. San Salvador’s offshore cays: Rising sea level caused

erosion of San Salvador, leaving many small, erosion-
resistant islands, or cays (“keys”).

2. Terrestrial habitat islands: Isolated region on larger

land mass, such as
• mountain top;
• forest remnant surrounded cleared land;
• forest remnant on island in river or lake;
• water-filled tree hole in forest
Barrow Colorado Island (BCI): A 1500
hectare remnant of lowland moist forest in
the middle of the Panama Canal; it is
managed by the Smithsonian Institute as
a tropical research site.
B. Oceanic Islands: Never connected to
continent; usually formed by volcanic
activity and isolated from continent by
deep ocean.
Oceanic
Island
Current Sea Level

Former Sea
Continental
Level
Shelf Undersea
Volcano

Sea Floor
Examples of Oceanic Islands

• Iceland
• Japan
• Aleutians
• Bermuda
• Caribbean Islands
• Hawaiian Islands
• South Pacific Atolls
• Et al.
Many Caribbean islands were formed by
volcanic activity at subduction zone.
 Oceanic Islands:
Two Unusual Cases

New Zealand
New Zealand: Landmass represents the highlands of
a submerged continent called Zealandia. South
Island straddles two lithospheric plates and
subduction zone.
 Oceanic Islands:
Two Unusual Cases

New Zealand
Bahamas
Bahamas Banks: No dry land connection to continent?
LandSat Image of San Salvador Island

• San Salvador sits on

isolated portion of
Bahamas Platform
• Surrounded by deep
ocean
• Never connected to
other Bahamian Bank
islands, or to continent
•Qualifies as an oceanic
island
 End of Slide Show

4/13/09

Refer to Handouts for

Remainder of Lecture