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Habitat Specificity, Speciation, and Species Density in Australian Desert Lizards
Author(s) -
Pianka Eric R.
Publication year - 1969
Publication title -
ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.144
H-Index - 294
eISSN - 1939-9170
pISSN - 0012-9658
DOI - 10.2307/1933908
Subject(s) - habitat , lizard , ecology , desert (philosophy) , genetic algorithm , sauria , biology , geography , philosophy , epistemology
From data demonstrating habitat specificity, it is concluded that Australian desert lizards recognize more habitats than North American desert lizards. The large amount of environmental heterogeneity and intimate mixing of habitats in Australia allow many more lizard species to coexist there than in North America. An interpretive hypothesis for lizard speciation by means or habitats fluctuating in time and space is proposed.