Layla Hollingsworth - The Island Biogeography Simulator - 14405554

Name________________________________
Island Biogeography Simulation (simulation)

Island Biogeography - Virtual Biology Lab
Background:
One of the first global patterns of diversity that early
naturalists observed was the relationship between area and
the number of species that a space holds. This relationship
was easy to describe on islands where species richness of
multiple groups of animals or plants (taxa) had been
described. For example, Figure 1 demonstrates this
species-area relationship. For example, Cuba is the largest
island in the Caribbean, and Redonda is one of the
smallest. If you look at the number of species (amphibians
and reptiles, classically studied as a group by
herpetologists) found on each island (y-axis), Cuba has far
more species than Saba does. Ecologists noted that species richness did not just increase with size; it tended
to increase at a regular rate. In general, we fignd that an area that is 10 times larger has about twice as many
species. Note this relationship appears linear in the figure due to the use of log scales on both axes!
E.O. Wilson was one of America’s most famous biologists. He specialized in the study of ants and has been
described as “the father of biodiversity”. Wilson developed the field of island biogeography with mathematician
Robert MacArthur. Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in both space and
time. Wilson used islands rather than large ecosystems because it was a more manageable task.
In the 1960’s Wilson and Daniel Simberloff

would fumigate small islands to remove all
living organisms. They would then
document the return of new species over
time. Wilson was interested in how both the
size of the island and the distance from the
mainland land would affect the biodiversity
over time.
While studying
patterns of
species richness on islands, two ecologists, Robert H. MacArthur and Edward O.
Wilson, noted some exceptions to the rule. For example, some large islands had
fewer species than expected due to their size, while some small islands tended to
be more species-rich than expected. To explain these global patterns they
proposed the Equilibrium Theory of Island Biogeography. It focuses on how size
and distance from a "mainland", or source of species, influences island richness.
To understand the Island Theory of Biogeography, let's first consider Figure 2.
This work is licensed by the author(s) under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Hosted by The Wonder of Science
You will be using the Island Biogeography Simulator to carry out similar investigations on your own. Before
analyzing the simulator and designing some investigations you should run through the tutorial to familiarize
yourself with the interface. The tutorial only takes a couple of minutes to complete.
1. After completing the tutorial run through a simple experiment using the default setting. What patterns of
change do you notice on the islands over time?
I noticed that over time the islands became more populated with species.
Simulation Trials
You will need:

■ a timer (the timer on your phone works fine)
■ a copy of the spreadsheet above to enter/visualize your data
First choose a habitat type (Tropical, Subtropical, Temperate, Tundra, or Desert)

and record it in your spreadsheet. Then choose a taxon (animal group type) and
record it also.
Trial 1- No Manipulation
Keep both islands as they are (same size, same distance). Set the speed to
maximum (8x) begin a timer for two minutes and let the simulation run for that
length of time. At the end of the two minutes, hit the pause button, click on the "To Data" tab, and record in your lab
spreadsheet the current # of Species, Average # of Species, and Top 2 Most Abundant Species*. Now hit “Clear Islands”
and repeat the procedures so you get a total of three trials.
*If more than one species has the same number at the end of your simulation, list these too; e.g., if Species 3 and 4 both
have the same top number of individuals, list both of them. This applies to the entire lab.
Trial 2- Distance
Now hit “Clear Islands” and return to the settings page. Move Island 2 away from the mainland to a distance of your
choice.
Record the distance you chose where indicated in your spreadsheet (green cell).
Then run the simulation for another two minutes. Then record your results in the Trial 2 box in your spreadsheet. Now hit
“Clear Islands” and repeat the procedures so you get a total of three trials.
Trial 3- Size
Hit “Clear Islands” and return to the settings page. Move Island 2 back to its original position close to the mainland. Then
shrink the diameter of Island 1 to a size of your choice.
Record the diameter you chose in your spreadsheet where indicated.
Then run the simulation for another two minutes. Record your results in the Trial 3 box in your spreadsheet. Now hit
Trial 4- Size Plus Distance
Now hit “Clear Islands” and return to the settings page. Now alter the size and distance of either or both islands.
Record the diameter(s) and distance(s) you chose in your spreadsheet.
Then run the simulation for another two minutes. Record your results in the Trial 4 box in your spreadsheet. Now hit
Trial 5- Migration and Mortality
Hit “Clear Islands” and return to the model settings page. Keep your island sizes and distances the same from Part 4.
Now change the Migration and Mortality rates for both islands to a setting of your choice. You decide whether you make
them higher or lower for your islands.
Record the Migration and Mortality Rates you chose in your spreadsheet.
Then run the simulation for another two minutes. Record your results in your spreadsheet. Now hit “Clear Islands” and
repeat the procedures so you get a total of three trials.
Habitat type: Desert

Taxon: Mammals
NO
MANIPULATION
Island 2
Island 1 Distance
Distance (km) (km) Migration Rate
chosen: 10 10 chosen:10 10 2
Island 2
Island 1 Size Size Mortality Rate
(km):256 256 (km):256 256 0.05
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3
Island 1 Island 2 Island 1 Island 2 Island 1 Island 2
Current # Species 6 7 8 4 5 10
Average # Speces 7.1 6.7 7.1 7.1 7 7.6
Top 2 Most Abundant Species: Species 9 Species 9&10 1, 4, 7,8 6 1, 6

What do you see/What does it
mean?
DISTANCE
MANIPULATION
Island 2
Island 1 Distance
chosen: 10 chosen: 110 2
Island 1 Size Island 2 Mortality Rate
(km): 256 Size (km): 256 0.05
Average # Speces 7.4 7.3 7.4 6.8 7.6 7.1
Top 2 Most Abundant Species: 1, 10 3, 6 3, 10 3, 6 3, 10 5, 6, 10
What do you see/What does it I noticed that the current # of species was about the same on island 2 as it was on island 1, even
mean? with more distance from the mainland.
SIZE
MANIPULATION
Island 2
Island 1 Distance
Island 1 Size Island 2 Size Mortality Rate
(km): 256 (km): 128 0.05
Average # Speces 6.3 2.4 6.2 2.1 6.7 2.4
Top 2 Most Abundant Species: 4,7,8,10 5 4 6 4 6
I noticed that Island 1 had the same amount of current # species for all of the trials. I also noticed
What do you see/What does it that the current number of species from island 2 decreased with each trial. The top 2 most
mean? abundant species from island was #4 for each of the trials
DISTANCE AND
SIZE
MANIPULATION
Island 2
Island 1 Distance
Island 1 Size Island 2 Size Mortality Rate
(km): 128 (km): 256 0.05
Average # Speces 2.9 7.2 1.3 6.4 1.3 6.3
Top 2 Most Abundant Species: 4,7, 7,1 7, 10 1 2, 9 4, 5, 7
What do you see/What does it In island 1 the current number of species stayed the same throughout the 3 trials, while on island 2
mean? the current number of species decreased with each trial.
DISTANCE AND
SIZE
MANIPULATION
Island 2
Island 1 Distance
Island 1 Size Island 2 Mortality Rate
(km): 128 Size (km): 256 0.01
Total # Species 9.6 9.9 9.6 9.9 9.4 9.9
Top 2 Most Abundant Species: 1, 4 1, 4 7,1 2,6 3, 7 5, 9
Review Questions
1. How can you be sure that each of your trial islands reached an equilibrium between immigration and
extinction? What conditions do you think would need to be met?
The equilibrium between immigration and extinction is determined by the size of the island and the distance
from it to the mainland.
2. For each of your manipulations, compare the number of species (current) on the island at the end of each of
your two-minute trials. Were they similar? How did they compare to the average number of species?
Island 1 had similar number of species for the first 3 manipulations with all being around 5-8 and related to the
average number of species
3. Now, for each of your manipulations, compare the identity of your top two species at the end of each of your
two-minute trials. Were they always the same? Why or why not?
I noticed that for most of the manipulations, the top two species were about the same. For 2 of the trials the
same specie would be the most abundant.
4. Now compare the number of species you found on the islands when you changed the distance and size of
island two separately. Which do you think played a bigger role in terms of species colonization: size or
distance? Why do you think that?
Compared to small islands, large islands have lower extinction rates due to their greater populations and higher
colonization rates since they offer a larger target. Because it is more likely that colonizing organisms would
reach nearby islands, colonization rates are higher on nearby islands than on distant ones.
5. How did changing migration and mortality rates impact the number of species you found on the island at the of
your trials? How do these parameters relate to the basic components (immigration, extinction) of the
Equilibrium Theory of Island Biogeography? How would changing these parameters impact the curves we
see in Figure 3 (above)?
• A single theory was put forth by MacArthur and Wilson (1963) to explain all three of the aforementioned
tendencies.
• They suggested that an island's species diversity is a dynamic balance between the opposing processes of
immigration and extinction.
This would account for the relatively constant number that, in spite of ongoing shifts in the species composition,
varies systematically with region and isolation.
6. If you were to run the entire simulation series again using a different taxon (animal group, plural =
taxa), do you think your results would be different? Do you think some taxa might be better at
dispersing than others?
Yes the results would be different because of the way different taxons are able to migrate. For example birds
are able to move from island to island much easier than reptiles and mammals.
Re-run the above trials while varying species or habitat types. Do these changes influence your results? What
do your results suggest about the model?
The model suggest how carrying capacity and island biogeography work hand in hand to influence the results
of different species
Wilson and MacArthur gathered evidence to construct the following three explanations of factors that affect the
carrying capacity of islands. They published their work in an iconic book entitled The Theory of Island
Biogeography.
Explanation 1 Explanation 2 Explanation 3
As the area of an island increases the As the distance between an island and The population will reach a stable
number of species it can support the mainland increases the number of point when the immigration rate
increases. species it can support decreases. matches the extinction rate.
2. Select one of the explanations above and use the Island Biogeography Simulator to gather evidence that
could support this explanation. Summarize your argument using the graphic organizer below.
Explanation
Which As the area of an island increases the number of species it can support increases.
explanation did As the distance between an island and the mainland increases the number of species it can
you investigate? support decreases.
The population will reach a stable point when the immigration rate matches the extinction
rate.
Evidence
Describe When it comes to the relationship between the area of an island and the number of species
evidence from it can support, there's a concept called the species-area relationship.
the simulation
that supports this
Basically, as the area of an island increases, it provides more habitats and resources for
explanation.
different species to thrive. Larger islands tend to have a greater variety of ecosystems, such
as forests, grasslands, and wetlands, which can support diverse species. These different
habitats offer a range of niches for various organisms to occupy and fulfill their specific
needs.
Additionally, larger islands often have more complex and interconnected food webs,
allowing for a greater number of species to coexist. This is because larger islands can
sustain larger populations of primary producers, like plants, which in turn support larger
populations of herbivores, and so on up the food chain.
Reasoning
Use reasoning to So, in conclusion, as the area of an island increases, it provides more opportunities for
link your different species to find suitable habitats and resources, leading to an increase in the
evidence to the number of species it can support. One of the main theories in ecology is the island
explanation. Your
biogeography theory, and there is ample evidence to support its application to natural
reasoning should
illustrate your
systems. The equilibrium model of island biogeography, which forms the basis of the
proper theory, predicts that an island's species diversity is positively correlated with its size but
understanding of negatively correlated with its distance from the mainland. Ecologists have recently started
ecosystem-carryi using this model to study genetic diversity, speculating that similar ecological mechanisms
ng capacity. may affect both genetic and species variety.
3. What elements would you add to the simulator to make it a more accurate representation of real
ecosystems in nature?
Environmental factors (predators, food, etc..), weather, multiple islands, and reproductive process are just a
few more elements to make the simulation a little more realistic.

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Name________________________________

Island Biogeography Simulation (simulation)

In the 1960’s Wilson and Daniel Simberloff

You will need:

First choose a habitat type (Tropical, Subtropical, Temperate, Tundra, or Desert)

Record the diameter you chose in your spreadsheet where indicated.

Record the diameter(s) and distance(s) you chose in your spreadsheet.

Trial 5- Migration and Mortality

Habitat type: Desert

Top 2 Most Abundant Species: Species 9 Species 9&10 1, 4, 7,8 6 1, 6

Explanation 1 Explanation 2 Explanation 3

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