Species-area and species-distance relationships of terrestrial mammals in the Thousand Island Region

Abstract

The species-area and species-distance relationships of terrestrial mammals in the Thousand Island Region of the St. Lawrence River are totally consistent with the basic predictions of the equilibrium theory of island biogeography. The power model provides the best fit for the species-area relationship, and the z-value of 0.305 does not differ significantly from Preston's canonical value (0.26). Distance (D) is a normal determinant (Sαe -D ²) of mammalian richness, and 93% of the variability in richness is accounted for by island area and isolation. The high z-values and poor species-distance correlations reported in previous studies of mammalian island biogeography, rather than evidencing non-equilibrium, are predictions consistent with the equilibrium theory for distant archipelagoes or, equivalently, poor immigrators such as mammals.