Equilibrium and non-equilibrium dynamics simultaneously operate in the Galápagos islands
- Island biotas emerge from the interplay between colonisation, speciation and extinction and are often the scene of spectacular adaptive radiations. A common assumption is that insular diversity is at a dynamic equilibrium, but for remote islands, such as Hawaii or Galápagos, this idea remains untested. Here, we reconstruct the temporal accumulation of terrestrial bird species of the Galápagos using a novel phylogenetic method that estimates rates of biota assembly for an entire community. We show that species richness on the archipelago is in an ascending phase and does not tend towards equilibrium. The majority of the avifauna diversifies at a slow rate, without detectable ecological limits. However, Darwin's finches form an exception: they rapidly reach a carrying capacity and subsequently follow a coalescent-like diversification process. Together, these results suggest that avian diversity of remote islands is rising, and challenge the mutual exclusivity of the non-equilibrium and equilibrium ecological paradigms.
Author details: | Luis M. Valente, Albert B. Phillimore, Rampal S. Etienne |
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DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.12461 |
ISSN: | 1461-0248 |
ISSN: | 1461-023X |
Title of parent work (English): | Ecology letters |
Publisher: | Wiley-Blackwell |
Place of publishing: | Oxford |
Publication type: | Article |
Language: | English |
Publication year: | 2015 |
Publishing institution: | Universität Potsdam |
Release date: | 2016/07/22 |
Tag: | Community assembly; diversification; dynamic equilibrium; island biogeography; phylogeny |
Volume: | 18 |
First page: | 844 |
Last Page: | 852 |
Funding institution: | Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellowship; NERC; NWO-VICI grant |
Organizational units: | Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Institut für Biochemie und Biologie |
DDC classification: | 5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 57 Biowissenschaften; Biologie / 570 Biowissenschaften; Biologie |
Peer review: | Referiert |
Publishing method: | Open Access |
License (German): | CC-BY - Namensnennung 4.0 International |
External remark: | Zweitveröffentlichung in der Schriftenreihe Postprints der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe ; 230 |