The generality of the island rule reexamined |
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Authors: | Shai Meiri Tamar Dayan Daniel Simberloff |
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Institution: | NERC Centre for Population Biology, Imperial College London, Ascot, Berkshire, UK;, Department of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel;and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA |
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Abstract: | Aim M.V. Lomolino and colleagues have recently reviewed the island rule in mammals and other vertebrates, claiming it is a general pattern. They have portrayed our recent analysis as weakly supporting the island rule, seeing weakness in our use of what they considered to be inadequate size indices (skulls and teeth, rather than mass or body length) and in our use of large islands. They argue that size evolution on islands points to a bauplan-specific fundamental size. We aim to test the generality of the rule and the adequacy of some of the data used to support it. Location Insular environments world-wide. Methods We collate and analyse data on skull sizes of carnivores and body masses of mammals in general to see whether there is a graded trend from dwarfism in large species to gigantism in smaller ones. Results The island rule is not supported with either the carnivore or the mammal data sets. Island area does not influence size change. Main conclusions Our results suggest that data recently advanced in support of the island rule are inadequate and that the island rule is not a general pattern for all mammals. |
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Keywords: | Bauplan body mass body size evolution carnivores fundamental size geographic variation island area island rule size indices skull length |
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