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 formidable to their mainland ancestors.
Evolution of Island Mammals, Second Edition, provides an updated and expanded overview of the current knowledge on fossil island mammals worldwide, ranging from the Oligocene to the onset of the Holocene. The book addresses evolutionary processes and key aspects of insular mammal biology, exemplified by a variety of fossil species.
Readers familiar with the first edition will find here a host of updated and enhanced material, including:- An entirely new chapter on the island rule- Updated and expanded theoretical chapters- Updated and improved taxonomic information- Extensive coverage of new discoveries- Body masses or body size indices for most extinct island mammals- New figures visualizing the richness of the fossil record
This accessible and richly illustrated textbook is written for graduate level students and professional researchers in evolutionary biology, palaeontology, biogeography, zoology, and ecology.
Table of Contents
Preface ix
Part I Beyond the Mainland 1
1 Introduction 3
2 History of Island Studies 9
3 Island Faunas: Types and Origins 18
Types of Islands 19
Dispersals to Islands 21
The Candidate Species 29
Composition of Island Faunas 34
Part II The Islands and Their Faunas 41
4 Cyprus 43
Geology and Palaeogeography 44
Historical Palaeontology 44
Biozones and Faunal Units 47
Pleistocene 48
Peculiarities and Evolution of Endemic Mammals 50
5 Crete 56
Geology and Palaeogeography 57
Historical Palaeontology 57
Biozones and Faunal Units 61
Peculiarities and Evolution of Endemic Mammals 66
6 Gargano 82
Geology and Palaeogeography 83
Historical Palaeontology 85
Biozones and Faunal Units 88
Evolution and Peculiarities of Endemic Mammals 93
7 Sicily 110
Geology and Geography 111
Historical Palaeontology 111
Biozones and Faunal Units 114
Peculiarities and Evolution of Endemic Mammals 120
8 Malta 128
Geology and Palaeogeography 129
Historical Palaeontology 129
Biozones and Faunal Units 133
Peculiarities and Evolution of Endemic Mammals 137
9 Sardinia and Corsica 142
Geology and Palaeogeography 143
Historical Palaeontology 144
Biozones and Faunal Units 151
Peculiarities and Evolution of Endemic Mammals 160
10 The Balearic Islands 178
Geology and Palaeogeography 179
Historical Palaeontology 180
Biozones and Faunal Units 182
Peculiarities and Evolution of Endemic Lineages 187
11 Madagascar 200
Geology and Palaeogeography 201
Historical Palaeontology 205
Biozones and Faunal Units 210
12 Java 236
Geology and Palaeogeography 237
Historical Palaeontology 238
Biozones and Faunal Units 245
Peculiarities and Evolution of Endemic Mammals 258
13 Flores 269
Geology and Palaeogeography 270
Historical Palaeontology 271
Biozones and Faunal Units 275
Peculiarities and Evolution of Endemic Mammals 282
14 Sulawesi 297
Geology and Palaeogeography 298
Historical Palaeontology 300
Biozones and Faunal Units 302
Peculiarities and Evolution of Endemic Mammals 306
15 The Philippines 312
Geology and Palaeogeography 313
Historical Palaeontology 315
Biozones and Faunal Units 318
Peculiarities and Evolution of Endemic Mammals 323
16 Japan: Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu 331
Geology and Palaeogeography 332
Historical Palaeontology 334
Biozones and Faunal Units 337
Peculiarities and Evolution of Endemic Mammals 345
17 Japan: The Southern and Central Ryukyu Islands 354
Geology and Palaeogeography 355
Historical Palaeontology 358
Biozones and Faunal Units 360
Peculiarities and Evolution of Endemic Mammals 367
18 The Californian Channel Islands 377
Geology and Palaeogeography 378
Historical Palaeontology 379
Biozones and Faunal Units 380
Peculiarities and Evolution of Endemic Mammals 381
19 The Greater Antilles 388
Geology and Palaeogeography 389
Historical Palaeontology 392
Peculiarities and Evolution of Endemic Mammals 399
20 The Lesser Antilles 425
Geology and Palaeogeography 426
Historical Palaeontology 427
Peculiarities and Evolution of Endemic Mammals 429
Part III Species and Processes 435
21 An Overview of Endemic Species 437
Proboscidea: Mammoths, Elephants, and Stegodons 438
Primates 439
Sloths 440
Lagomorpha: Rabbits, Hares, and Pikas 441
Rodentia: Rats, Dormice, Hamsters, and Caviomorphs 443
Insect-eaters: Shrews, Moonrats, Solenodons, Tenrecs, and Allies 445
Ruminantia: Deer and Bovids 448
Hippopotamidae: Hippos 449
Suidae: Pigs 449
Carnivora: Dogs, Hyenas, Otters, and Martens 449
Carnivora: Felids 451
22 Speciation Processes in Island Environments 455
What Influences Speciation? 456
Types of Speciation on Islands 465
23 The Island Rule: Dwarfism and Gigantism 477
The Island Rule: A Graded Trend 478
The Island Rule in Detail 488
24 Parallel Patterns and Trends 503
Evolutionary Changes in the Teeth 506
Evolutionary Skeletal Changes 512
Evolutionary Brain Changes 515
Evolutionary Changes in Life History 519
25 Extinction of Island Mammals 527
The Island Prison 529
The Burden of Body Mass 529
Extinction Debt 530
Natural Disasters 531
Tectonics and Sea Level 531
Impact of Exotic Competitors 533
Impact of Exotic Predators 534
Genetic Disorders and Infections 536
Habitat Loss 537
Hunting to Extinction 539
Index 547
