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The independent island nations of the South Pacific have a rich and threatened terrestrial biota. Despite considerable investment of resources into conservation over the last three decades, biodiversity is dwindling and protected area systems remain inadequate. This lack of success is caused by important differences in cultural, economic, landownership, and social factors in developing Pacific Island countries, compared to developed nations that often fund conservation programs and plans. Despite the obvious need for capacity building and information exchange among stakeholders, little collaboration and development has eventuated. A coordinated and integrated approach, focusing conservation resources on national priorities, is essential to achieve efficient conservation. This will need to include active involvement of landowners, a good sociocultural understanding of target communities, improved collaboration between the various stakeholders, provision of sustainable alternative economic activities, and a commitment to long funding cycles for projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Testing the comparative strength and influence of age and area of islands, proximity of source propagules and disturbances on community assembly, species diversity and vegetation structure has proved difficult at large scales. The little-studied rain forests in the Tropical South Pacific (TSP) provide a unique study area to investigate determinants of community dynamics, with islands varying in age, isolation, area and cyclone frequency. We tested the effects of biogeographical factors and cyclone frequency on the species composition, species diversity and forest structure of old-growth rain forest using 1-ha inventory plots on 12 islands between New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. 2. As predicted by the General Dynamic Model of Oceanic Island Biogeography, the biogeographical variables of archipelago age and island area are the most important factors affecting species richness and diversity, with older and larger islands having higher richness and diversity. There is no significant effect of cyclone frequency on species diversity. 3. The theory that diversity drives endemism is not supported in this system as endemism is not correlated with species diversity. Instead, age and isolation of an island best explain patterns of endemism, with the latter suggesting dispersal limitations between archipelagos. 4. Proximity to source area influences species composition of lowland tropical rain forests in the TSP, which is also supported by a strong correlation between geographic distance and floristic similarity. Vector-fitting onto non-metric multidimensional scaling suggests that archipelago age and cyclone frequency may, in addition to proximity to source area, influence species composition. This implies that a species’ tolerance to cyclones affects its abundance at different cyclone frequencies. 5. Synthesis. Both biogeographical variables (island area and isolation) and cyclone frequency appear to affect community assembly in lowland rain forests in the TSP. While species are hence not ecologically equivalent, interspecific ecological differences do not seem to affect the overall patterns of species diversity, which are mostly determined by biogeographical variables, as predicted by the neutral theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim The biogeographical patterns and drivers of diversity on oceanic islands in the tropical South Pacific (TSP) are synthesized. We use published studies to determine present patterns of diversity on TSP islands, the likely sources of the biota on these islands and how the islands were colonized. We also investigate the effect of extinctions. Location We focus on oceanic islands in the TSP. Methods We review available literature and published molecular studies. Results Examples of typical island features (e.g. gigantism, flightlessness, gender dimorphism) are common, as are adaptive radiations. Diversity decreases with increasing isolation from mainland sources and with decreasing size and age of archipelagos, corresponding well with island biogeographical expectations. Molecular studies support New Guinea/Malesia, New Caledonia and Australia as major source areas for the Pacific biota. Numerous studies support dispersal-based scenarios, either over several 100 km (long-distance dispersal) or over shorter distances by island-hopping (stepping stones) and transport by human means (hitch-hiking). Only one vicariance explanation, the eastward drift of continental fragments (shuttles) that may have contributed biota to Fiji from New Caledonia, is supported by some geological evidence, although there is no evidence for the transport of taxa on shuttle fragments. Another vicariance explanation, the existence of a major continental landmass in the Pacific within the last 100 Myr (Atlantis theory), receives little support and appears unlikely. Extinction of lineages in source areas and persistence in the TSP has probably occurred many times and has resulted in misinterpretation of biogeographical data. Main conclusions Malesia has long been considered the major source region for the biota of oceanic islands in the TSP because of shared taxa and high species diversity. However, recent molecular studies have produced compelling support for New Caledonia and Australia as alternative important source areas. They also show dispersal events, and not vicariance, to have been the major contributors to the current biota of the TSP. Past extinction events can obscure interpretations of diversity patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]