Emergent patterns of island biodiversity in the Anthropocene

Islands have long been foundational to the development of ecological and evolutionary theory, serving as model systems for studying patterns of biodiversity. However, pervasive anthropogenic impacts-particularly species extinctions and introductions-have substantially altered island ecosystems, complicating inferences drawn from contemporary data. Here, we review how these human-driven changes have reshaped key biodiversity patterns on islands, including patterns of species richness, community composition, evolution, and species interactions. We show that many current ecological and evolutionary patterns observed on islands reflect not just natural processes but also a legacy of human-induced change spanning millennia. Approaches that better incorporate paleoecological evidence, along with improved island biodiversity databases and modeling techniques, can help better reconstruct prehuman biodiversity baselines on islands.

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Publication Details

Journal
Science Advances
Published
2026-07-23
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aee1788
Primary Topic
Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Emergent patterns of island biodiversity in the Anthropocene

Tim M. Blackburn, Michael K. Borregaard, Ana M. C. Santos, Joseph P. Wayman et al.
Science Advances
Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies
article

Emergent patterns of island biodiversity in the Anthropocene

Tim M. Blackburn, Michael K. Borregaard, Ana M. C. Santos, Joseph P. Wayman, José María Fernández‐Palacios, Michał T. Jezierski, Kostas A. Triantis, Simone Fattorini, Oriol Lapiedra, Ferran Sayol, Julia H. Heinen, Mark V. Lomolino, Osanna Chu, Roberto Rozzi, Céline Bellard, Matthew R. Helmus, Patrick Weigelt, Xingfeng Si, Alexandra van der Geer, Paulo A. V. Borges, Pedro Cardoso, Filipa C. Soares, François Rigal, Thomas J. Matthews, Søren Faurby, Julian Schrader, Luís Valente, Robert J. Whittaker, Holger Kreft, Bo Dalsgaard, Juliano Sarmento Cabral, Sandra Nogué, Jens‐Christian Svenning, Natàlia Martínez‐Rubio, Thomas E. Martin, Julian P. Hume
article en

Abstract

Islands have long been foundational to the development of ecological and evolutionary theory, serving as model systems for studying patterns of biodiversity. However, pervasive anthropogenic impacts-particularly species extinctions and introductions-have substantially altered island ecosystems, complicating inferences drawn from contemporary data. Here, we review how these human-driven changes have reshaped key biodiversity patterns on islands, including patterns of species richness, community composition, evolution, and species interactions. We show that many current ecological and evolutionary patterns observed on islands reflect not just natural processes but also a legacy of human-induced change spanning millennia. Approaches that better incorporate paleoecological evidence, along with improved island biodiversity databases and modeling techniques, can help better reconstruct prehuman biodiversity baselines on islands.

Science AdvancesVol. 12(30)
Universitat de Vic - Universitat Central de Catalunya (ES), Universidade dos Açores (PT), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ES), University of Copenhagen (DK), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Naturalis Biodiversity Center (NL), Museum für Naturkunde (DE), Zoological Society of London (GB), State University of New York (US), Natural History Museum (GB), University of Bonn (DE), University of Lisbon (PT), Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour (FR), Radboud University Nijmegen (NL), SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (US), Universidad de La Laguna (ES), University of Groningen (NL), Simon Fraser University (CA), Universidade do Porto (PT), National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (GR), Aarhus University (DK), AgroParisTech (FR), Operation Wallacea (GB), University of L'Aquila (IT), Université Paris-Saclay (FR), Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (GB), Radboud University Medical Center (NL), University of Oxford (GB), Ecologie, Société, Evolution (FR), Sustainability Institute (ZA), Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (NL), Hospital General de Granollers (ES), Centre for Research on Ecology and Forestry Applications (ES), HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research (HU), Forest Research (GB), Oxford Archaeology (GB), Hospital de Santo Espirito de Angra do Heroísmo (PT), Campus-Institut Data Science (CIDAS) (DE), University College London (GB), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (ES), Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (DE), University of Göttingen (DE), University of Birmingham (GB), Temple University (US), University of Gothenburg (SE), Macquarie University (AU)
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Openalex Percentile: Top 4%
Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies
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