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Towards a mechanistic explanation of Island biogeography using subterranean animal communities
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  • Alejandro Martinez,
  • Stefano Mammola,
  • Antonio Pérez-Delgado,
  • Rafael García,
  • Heriberto López,
  • Diego Fontaneto,
  • Pedro Oromí
Alejandro Martinez
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Stefano Mammola
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
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Antonio Pérez-Delgado
IPNA-CSIC
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Rafael García
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Heriberto López
IPNA-CSIC
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Diego Fontaneto
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
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Pedro Oromí
University of La Laguna
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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.