ISSN:
1572-9710
Keywords:
Caribbean
;
insects
;
island
;
equilibrium
;
extinction
;
tropics
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
Abstract Ants were studied on Puerto Rico and 44 islands surrounding Puerto Rico. Habitat diversity was the best predictor of the number of species per island and the distributions of species followed a nested subset pattern. The number of extinctions per island was low, approximately 1–2 extinctions per island in a period of 18 years, and the rates of colonization seem to be greater than the extinction rates. Ant dynamics on these islands do not seem to support the basic MacArthur and Wilson model of island biogeography. The MacArthur and Wilson equilibrium is based on the notion that species are interchangeable, but some extinctions and colonizations can change the composition and number of species drastically.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1018332117719
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