Environmental Diversity

Abstract

In the well-known equilibrium island biogeography (EIB) model of MacArthur and Wilson, island area is generally the most efficient predictor of numbers of species found on an island. Attempts to strengthen this model have focusscd on the notion of environmental diversity, of which island area is an imperfect measure. By treating landscapes as dynamic assemblies of habitat patches, the EIB model has been usefully modified. Further, such thinking has profound implications in landscape design, non-chemical systems for pest control and the provision of wildlife reserves. Developments in ecological and biogeographical research into environmental diversity are reviewed and some families of South African research problems are named.