Seychelles. The Brandt Travel Guide -

Language:

Home: ABOUT: Ecology: Ecosystems: Island Ecosystems

an expanded view of Topics and Knowledge in the Atlas

Login for Members

Username

Password

	Forgotten your Password?
	Not a Member? Join Now
	Getting started

Navigate the Atlas:

3 SUB-TOPICS:

2 RELATED TOPICS:

Topic Overview

Editors

KO Overview

Owner

Island Ecosystems

Maintained by NOAA

Text-only Printer-friendly version

Types of island ecosystems

An island is a body of land, smaller than a continent, completely surrounded by water. Plants and animals of island ecosystems have many distinctive features, often related to the type of island:

old continental islands e.g. New Caledonia and New Zealand, originally part of a continent
oceanic islands, generally volcanic and short lived e.g. Hawai'i
coral atolls (see photo of Palmyra Atoll)
small, numerous islands e.g. red mangrove islets in the tropics, sand islets of the Caribbean and Indian Ocean, and
barrier islands parallel and close to the mainland coast.

Photo title: Palmyra Atoll, Pacific Ocean

Photo credit: Kim Cobb, Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Island biogeography

Island ecosystems have been studied because they are simpler than ocean ecosystems. Even clusters of islands are simpler to study. Islands provide natural “experiments” for research because of their number, variation in shape, size, degree of isolation and ecology. Oceanic islands near continents may have continental plants and animals. More isolated islands may have endemic species. One of the key relationships in island biogeography is the area-biodiversity curve. Generally the larger the island, the more diverse the plants and animals. To put it another way, environmental diversity is correlated with island area.

Photo title: Bahia Azul, Panama, a great chaenopsid collecting site

Photo credit: P A Hastings, Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Acanthemblemaria mangognatha, a new tube blenny endemic to Islas Revillagigedos, Mexico

More recent interest in island biogeography has had an impact on conservation biology. Many features of island ecosystems are relevant to ecosystem conservation elsewhere, on land as well as in the oceans. Island ecosystems have helped our understanding of:

fragmentation (leading to insularization)
creation of biotic communities, and
species extinction.

Photo title: Acanthemblemaria mangognatha, a new tube blenny endemic to Islas Revillagigedos, Mexico

Photo credit: D R Robertson

All (852)

Institutional Contact (18)

Title

Seychelles. The Brandt Travel Guide ( BOOK )

Author(s) / Editor(s)

Mair, L.;

Beckley, L.

Description

New edition available 2012. With plants and animals historically linked to Africa, Madagascar and Asia, and marine life native to the tropical Indo-Pacific region Seychelles is a haven for those interested in natural history. The guide gives fascinating coverage of the islands' biodiversity, from mangroves, turtles and birds to nature reserves and conservation projects. Seychelles' many secrets are also uncovered from coco de mer palm forests, picturesque La Digue and island bird sanctuaries to local markets and Creole cuisine.

Keywords

SEYCHELLES;

BIODIVERSITY;

ISLANDS;

BIRDS

Geography Keywords

SEYCHELLES;

INDIAN OCEAN

Content Language(s)

English

Web Address

http://www.bradtguides.c ... lles.html