Morphological shifts in island-dwelling birds: the roles of generalist foraging and niche expansion
Date
2003
Authors
Scott, Susan
Clegg, Sonya
Blomberg, Simon Phillip
Kikkawa, Jiro
Owens, Ian P F
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Society for the Study of Evolution
Abstract
Passerine birds living on islands are usually larger than their mainland counterparts, in terms of both body size and bill size. One explanation for this island rule is that shifts in morphology are an adaptation to facilitate ecological niche expansion.
Description
Keywords
Keywords: adaptation; ecomorphology; feeding ecology; generalist; island; niche breadth; passerine; animal; article; Australia; beak; body constitution; comparative study; environment; feeding behavior; geography; histology; New Zealand; physiology; songbird; Anima Foraging; Generalism; Islands; Morphology; Niche; Zosterops
Citation
Collections
Source
Evolution
Type
Journal article