A biogeographical perspective on ecological systems: some personal reflections
RE Ricklefs - Journal of Biogeography, 2011 - Wiley Online Library
During my graduate studies, I characterized patterns of geographical distribution and
taxonomic differentiation in birds of the West Indies, which suggested that species undergo
phases of expansion and contraction similar to the taxon cycles that EO Wilson had
described for Melanesian ants. Fieldwork in the early 1970s with George Cox confirmed that
these phases were associated with variation in habitat distribution and abundance on
individual islands, tying together local ecology and biogeography. Because taxon‐cycle …
taxonomic differentiation in birds of the West Indies, which suggested that species undergo
phases of expansion and contraction similar to the taxon cycles that EO Wilson had
described for Melanesian ants. Fieldwork in the early 1970s with George Cox confirmed that
these phases were associated with variation in habitat distribution and abundance on
individual islands, tying together local ecology and biogeography. Because taxon‐cycle …
