Beyond Island Biogeography Theory UNDERSTANDING HABITAT FRAGMENTATION IN THE REAL WORLD
نویسنده
چکیده
Island Biogeography Theory (IBT; MacArthur and Wilson 1963, 1967) has profoundly infl uenced the study of biogeography, ecol ogy, and even evolution (Janzen 1968, Losos 1996, Heaney 2000), and has also had an enormous impact on conservation biology. The theory has inspired much thinking about the importance of reserve size and connectivity in the maintenance of species diversity, and stimulated an avalanche of research on fragmented ecosystems. But, like all general models, IBT is a caricature of reality, capturing just a few important elements of a system while ignoring many others. Does it provide a useful model for understanding contemporary habitat fragmentation? Here I critically evaluate the conceptual utility and limitations of IBT for the study of fragmented ecosystems. I briefl y encapsulate the historical background, considering how IBT has helped to shape our thinking about habitat fragmentation over the past forty years. I then describe how fragmentation research has transcended the theory, using fi ndings from tropical and other ecosystems.
منابع مشابه
Theory meets reality: How habitat fragmentation research has transcended island biogeographic theory
Island biogeography theory (IBT) provides a basic conceptual model for understanding habitat fragmentation. Empirical studies of fragmented landscapes often reveal strong effects of fragment area and isolation on species richness, although other predictions of the theory, such as accelerated species turnover in fragments, have been tested less frequently. As predicted by IBT, biota in fragments...
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