Towards a mechanistic explanation of Island biogeography using
subterranean animal communities
- Alejandro Martinez,
- Stefano Mammola,
- Antonio Pérez-Delgado,
- Rafael García,
- Heriberto López,
- Diego Fontaneto,
- Pedro Oromí
Abstract
Using subterranean fauna in the Canary Islands as a simplified natural
laboratory, we explored how the interplay of eco-evolutionary processes
shape taxonomic and functional diversity patterns in oceanic
archipelagos through geological times. First, we demonstrated an overall
convergence in the trait spaces of subterranean communities across
islands, yet with variability according to each island's ontogenetic
state---young, mature, or senescent. Next, we showed that the reduced
species contribution to the island's traits space in mature islands is a
consequence of an optimisation of the use of the available niche space
driven by species interactions. Finally, we link those lines of evidence
showing that species interactions select a non-random combination of
traits in mature islands. Collectively, our results provided a
mechanistic description of the drivers of diversity in oceanic islands
by suggesting causal relationships between species functional properties
and island diversity metrics accounting for their geological age.