El estudio del cómo las especies evolucionan ha tenido tradicionalmente una de sus vertientes más importantes en la fauna y flora que se encuentran en las islas. Las especies que encontramos en dichos entornos proporcionan una gran cantidad de información, que los biólogos han utilizado para diseñar modelos que han sido aplicados incluso en ambientes no estrictamente insulares, modelos que además han arraigado fuerte en la Biología Evolutiva. Sin embargo, esto es Ciencia. El desarrollo de nuevas técnicas es inevitable; y el estudiar otra vez aquello ya investigado pero aplicando tales novedades tecnológicas también… Y luego pasa lo que pasa, que igual no todo era tan sencillo como pensábamos…
Although it is well established that many insects, birds and mammals serve as important pollinators and seed dispersers of flowering plants, the role of lizards in these processes has traditionally been considered as rare and less important. However, recent work shows both that their role as mutualistic agents has been underestimated and also reveals a striking pattern – that pollination and seed dispersal by lizards is most common on islands. We argue that this island phenomenon occurs because island lizards reach very high densities (density compensation) and experience a lower predation risk than do those on the mainland and, consequently, can expand their diet to include nectar, pollen and fruit. Although further empirical evidence is needed to confirm this explanation, such relationships could be ideal systems with which to study fundamental ecological problems, such as niche shifts, ecological release and competition. Jens M. Olesen a...
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