islands, clarification

[Guest guest]

> The term " island habitat " is accordingly widely used to

>describe fragmented habitats. Occasionally this metaphor has

>utility, but more often it is misused, because on mainland these

>supposed islands tend to move, expand, change shape, connect with

>each other, and sometimes disappear, quite unlike authentic

>islands.

 

I left out a key part of the above discussion.

 

Real islands also " tend to move, expand, change shape,

connect with each other, and sometimes disappear, " and this is part

of why island ecologies are so volatile.

 

Mainland " island habitats, " however, tend to stabilize as

result of their changes.

 

Instead of completely changing, like an authentic island,

" island habitat " species migrate outward as other species migrate

inward, so that the eventual effect is that gradated change occurs

within a continuum from X to Y, instead of abruptly, sea to land.

 

--

Merritt Clifton

Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE

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