PARENT SESSION
Poster Session #54: Plant Ecology: Communities.
Thursday, August 8. Presentation from 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM. Exhibit Hall B & C, TCC

Plant community patterns in successional patches and the surrounding matrix: Does island biogeography theory apply?

Lane, Kurt^*,1, Cook, William¹, ¹ Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Lawrence, KS

ABSTRACT- Island biogeography theory, created initially to study diversity patterns on islands, is often applied to habitat fragments. A key but largely untested assumption of this application of theory is that landscape matrix species composition is non-overlapping with that of the islands. We tested this assumption in successional old field patches in a closely mowed matrix. Although there was substantial overlap in species composition between the two habitats, the average similarity between quadrat pairs between the two habitats was low. Previous studies at our site did not find diversity patterns on patch "islands" to conform to predictions of island biogeography theory. Our results indicate that when matrix species are removed from the patch samples, diversity patterns conform better to theory. We suggest that classical island theory remains an appropriate tool to study diversity patterns in fragmented habitats, but that allowances should be made for spill-over colonization of "islands" from the "sea."

KEY WORDS: Island biogeography theory, Species richness patterns, Habitat fragmentation, Landscape matrix