Islands as model systems in ecology and evolution: prospects fifty years after MacArthur-Wilson
Author
Warren, Ben H.; Simberloff, Daniel; Ricklefs, Robert E.; Aguilée, Robin; Condamine, Fabien L.; Gravel, Dominique; Morlon, Hélène; Mouquet, Nicolas; Rosindell, James; Casquet, Juliane; Conti, Elena; Cornuault, Josselin; Fernández-Palacios, José María![ULL authority ULL authority](/xmlui/themes/Mirage2/images/autoridades/autoridad.png)
Date
2015Abstract
The study of islands as model systems has played an important role in the development of evolutionary
and ecological theory. The 50th anniversary of MacArthur and Wilson’s (December 1963)
article, ‘An equilibrium theory of insular zoogeography’, was a recent milestone for this theme.
Since 1963, island systems have provided new insights into the formation of ecological communities.
Here, building on such developments, we highlight prospects for research on islands to improve our
understanding of the ecology and evolution of communities in general. Throughout, we emphasise
how attributes of islands combine to provide unusual research opportunities, the implications of
which stretch far beyond islands. Molecular tools and increasing data acquisition now permit reassessment
of some fundamental issues that interested MacArthur and Wilson. These include the
formation of ecological networks, species abundance distributions, and the contribution of evolution
to community assembly. We also extend our prospects to other fields of ecology and evolution
– understanding ecosystem functioning, speciation and diversification – frequently employing assets
of oceanic islands in inferring the geographic area within which evolution has occurred, and potential
barriers to gene flow. Although island-based theory is continually being enriched, incorporating
non-equilibrium dynamics is identified as a major challenge for the future.