| Titre : | Evolution and ecology of birds on islands: Trends and prospects (2000) |
| Auteurs : | Jacques Blondel, Auteur |
| Type de document : | Article |
| Dans : | Vie et Milieu - Life and Environment (50(4) décembre 2000) |
| Article en page(s) : | 205-220 |
| Langues: | Anglais |
| Résumé : | This paper reviews ecological and evolutionary processes that operate among and within insular communities, species and populations. Being basically non-evolutionary the MacArthur and Wilson's paradigm of island biogeography holds well in explaining processes that operate on the short ecological time, and proved to be helpful in explaining such issues as colonisation-extinction processes, species richness at equilibrium and species turnover. But several limitations make it insufficient as a modern tool for explaining evolutionary changes on islands. Colonising an island necessarily entails rapid evolutionary changes as a response to both non-selective and selective evolution. This results in a cascade of changes of life history traits, the so-called insular syndrome. Components of this syndrome include changes in morphology (size and shape), demography (age-specific fecundity, survival, dispersal) and behaviour. Shifts in behaviour are among the most spectacular features in insular vertebrates. Surprisingly few systematic and broad-scale analyses of demographic changes on islands have been designed to document the classical tenet of evolutionary shifts from high reproductive rates and short life span towards the opposite combination of life history traits as a result of high intraspecific competition in crowded insular populations. Examples of shifts in life history traits are given from a detailed case study on the biology of Blue tits in the island of Corsica, and most of these changes fit the predictions of an insular syndrome. An interesting trend resulting from shift from dispersal to sedentariness and habitat fidelity in islands is the potential far population differentiation at much smaller spatial scales than an mainland regions. This results in enhancing within-species diversity which counterbalances the species impoverishment of insular biotas. Although ecological adjustments and evolutionary changes make insular communities self-regulating assemblages of species that are resistant face to the risks of spontaneous extinction and invasion, insular communities are among the most vulnerable biota on Earth. The most important threats to island birds are discussed and some directions are given for promoting studies that could contribute to fill the most important gaps in our knowledge on evolution on islands and contribute to conservation issues. |
| En ligne : | https://wwwphp.obs-banyuls.fr/Viemilieu/images/Archives_1950-2002/vie-et-milieu/VOLUME_2000_50_fasc4.pdf |
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