A global model of island species–area relationships

Thomas Matthews, François Rigal, Kostas A. Triantis, Robert J. Whittaker

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The increase in species richness with island area (ISAR) is a well-established global pattern, commonly described by the power model, the parameters of which are hypothesized to vary with system isolation and to be indicative of ecological process regimes. We tested a structural equation model of ISAR parameter variation as a function of taxon, isolation, and archipelago configuration, using a globally distributed dataset of 151 ISARs encompassing a range of taxa and archipelago types. The resulting models revealed a negative relationship between ISAR intercept and slope as a function of archipelago species richness, in turn shaped by taxon differences and by the amount and disposition of archipelago area. These results suggest that local-scale (intra-archipelago) processes have a substantial role in determining ISAR form, obscuring the diversity patterns predicted by island theory as a function of archipelago isolation. These findings have implications for the use and interpretation of ISARs as a tool within biogeography, ecology, and conservation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)12337–12342
Number of pages6
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume116
Issue number25
Early online date30 May 2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 18 Jun 2019

Keywords

  • archipelago effects
  • diversity model
  • island biogeography
  • macroecology
  • species-area relationship

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