Article
Ecology
Robin Aguilee, Felix Pellerin, Maxence Soubeyrand, Jeremy Choin, Christophe Thebaud
Summary: The dynamics of island biodiversity is influenced by the archipelago effect and history effect, which can lead to deviations from General Dynamic Model predictions. Islands within archipelagos tend to host more diversity and endemic species, with inter-island dispersal contributing to within-island diversity and speciation processes. The spatial-temporal structure of the whole archipelago should be taken into account in analyses of insular biodiversity data.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
A. Rodriguez-Gonzalez, J. L. Fernandez-Turiel, M. Aulinas, M. C. Cabrera, C. Prieto-Torrell, G. A. Rodriguez, H. Guillou, F. J. Perez-Torrado
Summary: This study analyzes the volcanic rocky coast setting and assesses the effects of volcanic construction and erosion on the coast at the scale of a volcanic edifice. El Hierro Island exemplifies an active sea-cliff profile, reflecting its early evolutionary stage as a young ocean volcanic island. The age of eruptions forming lava deltas affecting the coastal landform was constrained using a contemporary insular shelf. The study provides valuable insights for coastal planning and volcanic risk assessment.
Review
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Maria Holynska, Lukasz Slugocki
Summary: Compared to land animals, little is known about the diversity and determinants of freshwater invertebrates on islands. In this study, we aimed to obtain global-scale information on the diversity of Cyclopidae on islands, test its relationships with geographical variables in different types of islands, and compare patterns with other organisms. We found strong positive correlations between total and endemic species richness and surface area and maximum elevation of the islands, with larger regression slopes in oceanic islands. Small-island effects were observed between endemic species richness and area and elevation. The distance from the mainland had negative correlations with total and endemic species richness in oceanic islands. Compositional similarity was determined to a minor extent by geographic variables, with space having a stronger impact. The relationships found in Cyclopidae generally aligned with those observed in other predominantly terrestrial organisms, suggesting potential freshwater-specific characteristics.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lu-Yi Wang, Chung-Ping Lin, Stanislav N. Gorb, Hamed Rajabi
Summary: Enhanced attachment ability is common in plants on islands to avoid passive dispersal, but whether island insects also possess this ability is unclear. This study found that a flightless weevil from tropical islands has stronger attachment ability compared to mainland arthropods, regardless of body size and substrate roughness. The study identified the specific adaptions of the weevil's attachment devices and highlighted the potential benefits of strong attachment in windy island environments.
JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY INTERFACE
(2023)
Article
Biology
Frank A. La Sorte, Marius Somveille, Adriaan M. Dokter, Eliot T. Miller
Summary: This study examines the effects of island area, isolation, and latitude on seasonal species richness using 21 years of bird observations. The results indicate that species richness is highest on islands within the northern mid-latitudes during migration and on islands within tropical latitudes during the non-breeding season. Island area and distance to mainland play important roles in determining species richness.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Leivur Janus Hansen, Agnes-Katharina Kreiling
Summary: This study investigated water beetles and water boatmen in ponds on the Faroe Islands, revealing higher species diversity in shallower ponds, with community composition and diversity being influenced by pond size and depth as habitat characteristics.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Francisco E. Mendez-Castro, Luisa Conti, Milan Chytry, Borja Jimenez-Alfaro, Michal Hajek, Michal Horsak, David Zeleny, Marco Malavasi, Gianluigi Ottaviani
Summary: The theory of island biogeography suggests that size and isolation play a crucial role in determining biodiversity on islands. Debate has recently arisen regarding whether terrestrial island-like systems function similarly to true islands. The challenge of identifying the effect of insularity in terrestrial systems lies in recognizing species source(s) and measuring isolation, which is not as straightforward as for true islands.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Bora Shin, Jae-Young Lee, Nang-Hee Kim, Sei-Woong Choi
Summary: The study examined the relationship between resource abundance and feeding activity of phytophagous insects on island plants, finding that different plant species significantly influence insects' feeding behavior, while geographic factors also play a variable role in shaping phytophagous insects activity.
Article
Ecology
Alessandro Chiarucci, Riccardo Guarino, Salvatore Pasta, Alfonso La Rosa, Pietro Lo Cascio, Frederic Medail, Daniel Pavon, Jose Maria Fernandez-Palacios, Piero Zannini
Summary: This study confirms that the plant species richness in the Aeolian Archipelago follows typical Island Species-Area Relationship (ISAR), shows no peculiarities compared to land bridge archipelagos, and has somewhat unclear signal for the small-island effect.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2021)
Article
Geology
Emilia Le Pera, Consuele Morrone, Jose Arribas, M. Eugenia Arribas, Eumenio Ancochea, M. Jose Huertas
Summary: The research on beach sands from Cabo Verde Islands revealed that the composition of the sands varies depending on the island's morphological evolution and age, with younger islands having more volcanic lithic fragments and older islands containing more calcareous bioclasts and sedimentary lithic grains. The presence of glassy volcanic particles with different textures suggests multiple volcanic provenance assemblages contributing to the sandy beaches surrounding the islands. The weathering-limited erosion regime of the islands is reflected in the preserved orange glassy particles sourced from the pre-Miocene seamount stage of Santiago Island.
JOURNAL OF SEDIMENTARY RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Manoela C. Brandao, Fabio Benedetti, Severine Martini, Yawouvi Dodji Soviadan, Jean-Olivier Irisson, Jean-Baptiste Romagnan, Amanda Elineau, Corinne Desnos, Laetitia Jalabert, Andrea S. Freire, Marc Picheral, Lionel Guidi, Gabriel Gorsky, Chris Bowler, Lee Karp-Boss, Nicolas Henry, Colomban de Vargas, Matthew B. Sullivan, Lars Stemmann, Fabien Lombard
Summary: Ocean plankton play a vital role in ecosystem functioning and marine services provision. Zooplankton abundance and median size decrease towards warmer and less productive environments. Climate models predict a shift towards smaller organisms in zooplankton communities in increasingly warmed and stratified oceans, potentially weakening their contribution to the biological carbon pump.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Filipa C. Soares, Ana Leal, Jorge M. Palmeirim, Ricardo F. de Lima
Summary: Our study evaluated the potential competition between native and non-native bird species on oceanic islands, highlighting traits and island characteristics that may lead to future extinctions. We found that competition tended to be higher for native species with typical non-native traits and certain non-native species, and it was more prevalent in larger, drier islands with more non-native birds. Overall, niche differentiation between native and non-native species may explain the limited competition-driven extinctions observed, but the introduction of non-native birds in native ecosystems could pose a threat to native species.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2021)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Claudia Bruschini, Eric D. Edwards, Gerard Talavera, Varea D. Vaurasi, Galumalemana F. Latu, Leonardo Dapporto
Summary: This study investigated the butterfly fauna in the Samoan Archipelago and identified evolutionary significant units (ESUs) using COI barcode sequences. The ESUs in Samoan islands showed high levels of endemism and congruence with established taxonomy. The mechanisms of genetic differentiation in temperate butterflies differed between ancient continental lands and geologically young islands like Samoa.
Article
Ecology
Xingfeng Si, Marc W. Cadotte, T. Jonathan Davies, Alexandre Antonelli, Ping Ding, Jens-Christian Svenning, Soren Faurby
Summary: Island mammal assemblages are shaped by eco-evolutionary processes, including evolutionary history clustering and functional trait clustering. The intensity of these clustering phenomena is determined by island size and isolation. In situ speciation and dispersal filtering play important roles in the formation of island mammal assemblages.
Article
Ecology
Fabio Mologni, Peter J. Bellingham, Even Tjorve, Ewen K. Cameron, Anthony E. Wright, Kevin C. Burns
Summary: In this study conducted in Northern New Zealand, a positive relationship was found between the richness of exotic plant species and native plant species on islands. The area of the island was a better predictor of species richness on larger islands, while isolation and exposure were better predictors on smaller islands. Exotic species showed a stronger response to island characteristics compared to native species, exhibiting invasion patterns preferring larger, less isolated, less exposed islands at higher latitudes and closer to urban areas.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Kostas A. Triantis, Francois Rigal, Robert J. Whittaker, Julian P. Hume, Catherine Sheard, Dimitrios Poursanidis, Jonathan Rolland, Spyros Sfenthourakis, Thomas J. Matthews, Christophe Thebaud, Joseph A. Tobias
Summary: The study found significant convergence in morphological and phylogenetic structure among oceanic archipelago bird communities, which is a result of non-random colonization and in situ adaptation. Similar community assembly patterns were observed in different subsamples. Data from extinct species showed pre- and post-anthropogenic extinction community convergence, highlighting the role of non-random extinction in generating convergence patterns.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Iqbal Singh Bhalla, Jesus Aguirre-Gutierrez, Robert J. Whittaker
Summary: Insectivorous bats have a positive impact on reducing plant damage and protecting yield in rice fields. Excluding bats from experimental plots resulted in increased defoliation of rice plants. Although there were no significant differences in yellowing of rice and total yield between experimental and control plots, bat activity levels correlated with rice growth. These findings highlight the importance of bats in suppressing pests and their potential for integrated pest management in Indian rice ecosystems.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Sijeh A. Asuk, Thomas J. Matthews, Jonathan P. Sadler, Thomas A. M. Pugh, Vincent T. Ebu, Nzube M. Ifebueme, Nicholas Kettridge
Summary: This study assessed the differences in species diversity, patterns of relative abundance, and pairwise beta diversity between trees with edible and inedible fruits and seeds along an elevation gradient, and investigated the impact of human foraging on the forest tree communities in Oban Division of Cross River National Park, Nigeria.
Article
Ecology
Michael N. Dawson, Ricardo A. Correia, Qin Li, Thomas J. Matthews, Ana Filipa Palmeirim
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Thomas J. Matthews
Summary: Islands serve as platforms for various remarkable evolutionary phenomena, such as the island rule - the tendency for animals to either shrink or enlarge in size. A recent study on insular mammals reveals that these size shifts make these evolutionary marvels more susceptible to extinction.
Article
Ecology
Thomas J. Matthews, Joseph P. Wayman, Robert J. Whittaker, Pedro Cardoso, Julian P. Hume, Ferran Sayol, Konstantinos Proios, Thomas E. Martin, Benjamin Baiser, Paulo A. V. Borges, Yasuhiro Kubota, Luiz dos Anjos, Joseph A. Tobias, Filipa C. Soares, Xingfeng Si, Ping Ding, Chase D. Mendenhall, Yong Chee Keita Sin, Frank E. Rheindt, Kostas A. Triantis, Francois Guilhaumon, David M. Watson, Lluis Brotons, Corrado Battisti, Osanna Chu, Francois Rigal
Summary: Research on island species-area relationships (ISAR) has expanded to incorporate functional (IFDAR) and phylogenetic (IPDAR) diversity. However, we lack comprehensive global analyses of how these categories of island diversity-area relationship (IDAR) vary. In this study, we provide the first comparative evaluation of IDARs at the global scale using avian data sets from 51 archipelagos. Our results show that increasing richness with area drives the non-richness corrected IPDAR and IFDAR. We also find that archipelagos with steeper ISARs have larger differences in slope between IDARs, indicating increased redundancy on larger islands in these archipelagos.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Alexander M. M. Milner, Eva M. M. Loza Vega, Tom J. J. Matthews, Sarah C. C. Conn, Fredric M. M. Windsor
Summary: This study investigates the effects of climate change on benthic macroinvertebrate community structure in high-latitude streams in Denali National Park in Alaska. The results show that the alpha diversity of macroinvertebrates varies across different stream systems, with oscillating patterns in snowmelt- and rainfall runoff-fed streams and increasing trends in groundwater-fed streams. Beta-diversity is highly variable over time, with marked transitions occurring in response to extreme snowpack accumulation. These findings highlight the importance of long-term biological studies in stream ecosystems and the vulnerability of high-latitude streams to climate change.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Ecology
Michael N. Dawson, Ceridwen Fraser, Thomas J. Matthews, Serban Proches, Jon P. Sadler
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Julia H. Heinen, F. B. Vincent Florens, Claudia Baider, Julian P. Hume, W. Daniel Kissling, Robert J. Whittaker, Carsten Rahbek, Michael K. Borregaard
Summary: Insular communities are highly susceptible to human-induced extinctions and introductions, which can affect seed dispersal and lead to ecological shifts and co-extinction cascades. In a study conducted in Mauritius, an oceanic island with a well-studied history of species introduction, researchers found that while there were losses of interaction partnerships due to native species extinctions, there were also gains of interactions with introduced species. However, closer examination revealed that these interactions were predominantly with seed predators, indicating that restoration of seed dispersal functionality in this novel plant-frugivore community is unlikely.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Editorial Material
Ecology
John W. Williams, Amanda Taylor, Krystal A. Tolley, Diogo B. Provete, Ricardo Correia, Thais B. Guedes, Harith Farooq, Qin Li, Hudson T. Pinheiro, Andre Vicente Liz, Leilton W. Luna, Thomas J. Matthews, Ana Filipa Palmeirim, Giacomo Puglielli, Marcelo M. Rivadeneira, V. V. Robin, Julian Schrader, Tatiana A. Shestakova, Helena Tukiainen, Sophie von der Heyden, Alexander Zizka
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Danny Haelewaters, Thomas J. Matthews, Joseph P. Wayman, Jonathan Cazabonne, Felix Heyman, C. Alisha Quandt, Thomas E. Martin
Summary: Most empirical research on biological shortfalls has focused on vertebrate taxa, neglecting poorly studied groups such as invertebrates, plants, and fungi. This study examines the knowledge gaps in Laboulbeniomycetes, a class of microfungi, and identifies shortfalls in species diversity, distributions, persistence, and conservation assessments. It reveals that Laboulbeniomycetes are greatly understudied, with inconsistency in species description rates and high Wallacean shortfall in distribution patterns. Over half of the species have not been recorded in over 50 years, and none of the described species have received an IUCN threat assessment. Continued study of natural history collections, citizen science programs, and machine-learning identification approaches are suggested to reduce knowledge shortfalls in Laboulbeniomycetes and other poorly studied taxa.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Konstantinos Proios, Leonidas Maroulis, Francois Rigal, Thomas J. Matthews, Robert A. D. Cameron, Spyros Sfenthourakis, Robert J. Whittaker, Katerina Vardinoyannis, Moissis Mylonas, Kostas A. Triantis
Summary: This study investigates the functional and taxonomic properties of land snail communities on Aegean islands, and finds that these communities demonstrate non-random convergence in their structure. The results suggest that island area plays a key role in determining functional diversity in these communities.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Joseph P. Wayman, George Atkinson, Mohammed Jahangir, Daniel White, Thomas J. Matthews, Michail Antoniou, S. James Reynolds, Jon P. Sadler
Summary: Fireworks have a significant impact on bird activity in urban areas, causing birds to fly at higher elevations and in larger numbers during firework events. This disturbance may have implications for avian biology, especially during large public firework events in the colder seasons in the UK when birds have higher thermoregulatory costs.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Biology
Thomas W. H. Aspin, Kieran Khamis, Thomas J. Matthews, Gavin M. D. Williams, Fredric M. Windsor, Guy Woodward, Mark E. Ledger
Summary: Freshwater habitats are experiencing more frequent and longer droughts due to climate change and overabstraction. While aquatic species decline, there is limited knowledge about the potential terrestrial species that may thrive in drying riverbeds. A study found that droughts causing stream fragmentation led to diverse terrestrial invertebrate communities, while droughts causing streambed dewatering resulted in lower richness. Overall, intense droughts may have limited winners among both aquatic and terrestrial species, highlighting the pervasive threat to riverine biodiversity from future drought intensification.