Activity 2.3: Island Biogeography Simulation Report
Island Biogeography Simulation Report
By Tamara Meral
Northwest Vista College
Environmental Science 11
Surely you have heard the word biogeography, but have you ever analyzed what its meaning is and what it encompasses? Let me enlighten you. Biogeography is the science in charge of studying the ecosystems of a specific biographical space as well as studying the distribution of species throughout these lands. This branch of science serves as the lens of a camera that helps us see from a closer perspective all the complexity that exists between living beings and their environment. Biogeography has several disciplines which are evolutionary biology, ecology, geology and climatology that serve as tools to unravel the mysteries of why species distribute and live in different ways, providing critical and extremely fundamental information about the functioning of ecosystems in the face of environmental changes. On the other hand we also have biodiversity. Biodiversity is the variety of life forms that live or are found in a specific area. This also helps us understand the impacts of changes and alterations in the ecosystem such as pollination, water purification and climate regulation. We as humans also depend. In addition to all this, the great importance of biodiversity is also due to the fact that it represents millions of years of evolutionary evolution and provides everything necessary in resources for the survival of living beings.
Biogeography also studies the biography of islands, biodiversity and colonization of species, extension, biogeography of landscapes, the ways in which habitat heterogeneity influences the distribution of species at regional scales, etc.
For biodiversity activity 2.2, I first read the first section of module 2 to have a broader understanding of the topic. Once you have the basic knowledge required for this activity, such as knowing that larger islands will have more species and also that distant islands from the mainland will have fewer.
The Virtual Biology Lab website (R. & R.H) was used to do online practices on biogeology and biodiversity, manipulating different factors such as distance, size of the island, migration, and mortality to see how the variables were altered. For my practice, I have chosen a tropical habitat and mammals as my taxon.
In the first round, nothing was manipulated on either island. Both had the same variables. The data provided reflects the information for islands 1 and 2. Both islands are located at a distance of 10 kilometers from each other and also share the same migration rate established as 2. Both islands have 256 kilometers of land and a mortality rate of 0.05. Where we can see that the data is very even between both islands
R., F., & R.H, M. (n.d.). Island Biogeography - Virtual Biology Lab. https://virtualbiologylab.org/ModelsHTML5/IslandBiogeography/IslandBiogeography.html
Distance Manipulation
For this trial, the same data has been left except that the distance to each island has been modified. Island 1 has a distance of 130 kilometers while island 2 has a distance of 30 meters. Island 1 shows a more abundant number of species while island 2 shows a decrease.
R., F., & R.H, M. (n.d.). Island Biogeography - Virtual Biology Lab. https://virtualbiologylab.org/ModelsHTML5/IslandBiogeography/IslandBiogeography.html
Size Manipulation
Trial number 3 consists of changing the size of the islands. I decided to manipulate the size of island 1 at 160 km and the size; from island 2 to 256 kilometers, this being larger.
This change in the variable represents a great effect on the population of living beings within an island. The more land, the more availability of basic resources such as food, water, and shelter. They also tend to offer a more extensive variety of habitats, the most common being forests or grasslands, which facilitates the migration movements of species.
R., F., & R.H, M. (n.d.). Island Biogeography - Virtual Biology Lab. https://virtualbiologylab.org/ModelsHTML5/IslandBiogeography/IslandBiogeography.html
Size plus Distance Manipulation
In thiIn this trial the distance and size of the islands have been altered. Island 1 has a distance of 50 kilometers and a diameter of 64 kilometers. Island two has a distance of 90 kilometers and a diameter of 128 kilometers.
R., F., & R.H, M. (n.d.). Island Biogeography - Virtual Biology Lab. https://virtualbiologylab.org/ModelsHTML5/IslandBiogeography/IslandBiogeography.html
In this latest trial, the migration and morality numbers for both islands have been changed to a migration rate of 5 and a mortality rate of 0.09.
R., F., & R.H, M. (n.d.). Island Biogeography - Virtual Biology Lab. https://virtualbiologylab.org/ModelsHTML5/IslandBiogeography/IslandBiogeography.html
The interpretation of the results of this activity on island biodiversity reflects that the diversity and population of living beings on the islands are largely influenced by a combination of factors such as the diameter or terrain of the islands and the migration or mortality rates. As has already been said, islands with greater terrain and greater proximity to a continent have the possibility of housing more species given their great variety of habitats and natural resources for the successful survival of some species. Computer models like this are a powerful tool to provide the opportunity to achieve a greater understanding and prediction of these ecological processes, aiding in the conservation and management of ecosystems.
Resources
R., F., & R.H, M. (n.d.). Island Biogeography - Virtual Biology Lab. https://virtualbiologylab.org/ModelsHTML5/IslandBiogeography/IslandBiogeography.html
Walker, S. (n.d.). ENVR 1301 - Scott Walker, scedd. ENVR 1301 - Scott Walker, ScEdD. https://envr1301-scottwalker.blogspot.com/2020/11/activity-2.html
The interpretation of the results of this activity on island biodiversity reflects that the diversity and population of living beings on the islands are largely influenced by a combination of factors such as the diameter or terrain of the islands and the migration or mortality rates. As has already been said, islands with greater terrain and greater proximity to a continent have the possibility of housing more species given their great variety of habitats and natural resources for the successful survival of some species. Computer models like this are a powerful tool to provide the opportunity to achieve a greater understanding and prediction of these ecological processes, aiding in the conservation and management of ecosystems.
Resources
R., F., & R.H, M. (n.d.). Island Biogeography - Virtual Biology Lab. https://virtualbiologylab.org/ModelsHTML5/IslandBiogeography/IslandBiogeography.html
Walker, S. (n.d.). ENVR 1301 - Scott Walker, scedd. ENVR 1301 - Scott Walker, ScEdD. https://envr1301-scottwalker.blogspot.com/2020/11/activity-2.html
mihj
mm
Comments
Post a Comment