Ecology Assignment 5 Week 6 Draft 6

I don’t think the regional species richness on the mainland will affect how many species are predicted to be found on an island based on the equilibrium theory of island biogeography.  It is known to be that geographic areas have a vast influence on species diversity on global and regional spatial scales. The equilibrium theory of island biogeography indicates that there is a relationship between species and area. In islands and mainland areas, species richness is theorized to be regulated by rates of immigration and extinction. In mainland’s, immigration rates are greater because barrier to dispersal are lower. Since mainland is known to have high immigration rates and low extinction rates it leads to a lower rate of increase in species richness with increasing area.