Author: Aaron Basi; Sources:

Island Biogeography

Island biogeography is a theory stating the factors that have an impact on species richness. Some factors include the size of an island and the distance of the island from the mainland. It has a direct impact on biodiversity as the larger islands will have more land availability for species, resulting in higher species richness.

 

ACTIVITY

Materials: 3 different sized papers, erasers, and small round balls // Duration: 10 minutes

  • Place each piece of paper a different distance away from the participant than the other two.

  • Larger papers should be closer to the person throwing the item.

  • Paper size will become smaller as the distance between the participant and the paper increases.

  • Participants will try and land the different items on the pieces of paper by throwing them from the “mainland.”

  • The item must be completely on the paper for it to count.

LESSON

Islands continue to be colonized by new arriving species. These species are known to be generalist species as they are able to thrive outside of their homeland.

The island biogeography theory states that species are more likely to become extinct in smaller islands and/or ones that are farther from the mainland. The reason for this is simple. There is not enough land availability on the smaller islands and some species (usually specialists) will be outcompeted. Species also die off due to extinction and because these islands are outside their range of tolerance.

 
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