Evolution of island mammals : adaptation and extinction of placental mammals on islands /
"Evolution on islands differs in a number of important ways from evolution on mainland areas. Over millions of years of isolation, exceptional and sometimes bizarre mammals evolved on islands, such as pig-sized elephants and hippos, giant rats and gorilla-sized lemurs that would have been form...
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
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Hoboken, NJ :
Wiley-Blackwell,
2010.
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| Online Access: | Cover image |
Table of Contents:
- pt. 1. Beyond the mainland ; 1. Introduction ; 2. History of island studies ; 3. Factors that influence island faunas. Types of islands. Dispersals to islands. The candidate species. Composition of island faunas
- pt. 2. The islands and their faunas. 4. Cyprus ; 5. Crete ; 6. Gargano ; 7. Sicily ; 8. Malta ; 9. Sardinia and Corsica ; 10. The Balearic Islands ; 11. Madagascar ; 12. Java ; 13. Flores ; 14. Sulawesi ; 15. The Philippines ; 16. Japan ; 17. The southern and central Ryukyu Islands ; 18. The Californian Channel Islands ; 19. The West Indies
- pt. 3. Species and processes ; 20. Elephants, mammoths, stegodons and mastodons ; 21. Rabbits, hares and pikas ; 22. Rats, dormice, hamsters, caviomorphs and other rodents ; 23. Insectivores and bats ; 24. Cervids and bovids ; 25. Hippopotamuses and pigs ; 26. Carnivores ; 27. Patterns and trends. Dwarfism and gigantism. Increased size variation. Shorter limbs and stiff joints. Increased grinding force. Neurological changes. Changes in metabolism ; 28. Evolutionary processes in island environments. Types of speciation on islands. Intrinsic and extrinsic factors ; 29. Extinction of insular endemics. Natural disasters. Disappearance of the island. Competition by new species. Effects of exotic predators. Transmission of diseases. Habitat loss. Hunting to extinction.