Abstract
An analysis of changes in island topography and climate that have occurred since the last glacial maximum 21,000 years ago shows how sea-level change has influenced the current biodiversity of oceanic islands. See Letter p.99 Our understanding of biodiversity on islands assumes that either they are the geologically static backgrounds for immigration and emigration, or that they are more dynamic, influenced by geological and tectonic change over millions of years. Neither model, however, accommodates the rapid change over the past 20,000 years or so, during which time the melting of ice caps has driven up sea levels by more than 100 metres, dividing up landmasses, making small islands smaller and more remote. Patrick Weigelt et al. find that such inundations have had a measurable effect on island plant biodiversity. In particular, islands that were larger during the Last Glacial Maximum have more endemic species today than one would expect from their current size and remoteness, whereas the number of native species is essentially the same.
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