UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
ISLANDS AND SMALL STATES INSTITUTE
MA–ISSS: SEMESTER EXAMINATION
MAY - JUNE 2012 SESSION
ISS5012: Principles of Ecology and Biogeography of Islands
Time: 15:30 – 17:30
Answer any THREE questions. Your answers should take the form of essays. All
questions carry equal marks. Use a separate booklet for each question.
1.
Environmental mismanagement is expected to have a greater impact on islands than
on mainland areas of equivalent size. Discuss.
2.
The probability of an insular species becoming extinct is about 40 times higher than for
a continental one. Discuss why.
3.
Many island groups are considered to be ‘biodiversity hotspots’. What is ‘biodiversity’
and what is a ‘biodiversity hotspot’? The international non-governmental organization
Conservation International currently recognizes some 34 biodiversity hotspots, a
disproportionate number of which are islands and archipelagos. Why are islands and
island groups more likely to be classified as ‘biodiversity hotspots’ than much larger
continental areas?
4.
What is ‘adaptive radiation’ and how does it occur? Discuss why adaptive radiation is a
characteristic of islands, particularly archipelagos.
5.
Discuss the key biogeographic and ecological differences between oceanic islands
and continental shelf islands. How do these differences affect the biota found on such
islands?
6.
Evolution and ecology cannot be separated since evolution cannot work without
ecology to drive it, while biological communities operate within the constraints of
evolution. Discuss with reference to islands.