The relation between species numbers and island characteristics for habitat islands in a volcanic landscape [Idaho]

Within the Craters of the Moon Lava Flow in southeastern Idaho are kipukas, islands of sagebrush habitat isolated by relatively barren lava. In 1979 I counted the number of species of plants, small mammals, and reptiles for a series of kipukas. The degree of isolation of a kipuka was not related to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Great Basin naturalist 1982-03, Vol.42 (1), p.113-119
Main Author: Carter Lovejoy S.H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Extinct species
Lava
Lizards
Mammals
Plants
Species
Species extinction
Vegetation
Wildlife habitats
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Summary:Within the Craters of the Moon Lava Flow in southeastern Idaho are kipukas, islands of sagebrush habitat isolated by relatively barren lava. In 1979 I counted the number of species of plants, small mammals, and reptiles for a series of kipukas. The degree of isolation of a kipuka was not related to numbers of species found there; thus, these data do not support the equilibrium theory of island biogeography. For most of the study organisms lava is not a significant barrier to dispersal. Larger kipukas support larger numbers of species. For plants this relationship likely is a result of the increased topographic variety of larger kipukas, whereas for small mammal species minimum area requirements for maintaining populations are met only by larger kipukas. More distant kipukas showed increased density of small mammals, possibly as a result of reduced predation. Patterns of distribution in this ecosystem are best explained, not by any all-inclusive community mechanism, but through the agglomerative contributions of a variety of population and community functions.
ISSN:0017-3614