A Minicourse on Stochastic Partial Differential Equations

Abstract

Most documented extinctions of vertebrates in the last 400 years havebeen island endemics. In this paper, we focus on the need to developa historical framework to establish conservation priorities for insularfaunas and, in particular, to test the validity of nominal endemics.We use the example of the islands of the North Pacific Coast (NPC)of North America, a region that includes approximately one-half ofall mammals endemic to North American islands north of Mexico (sevenspecies and 67 subspecies). Few of these endemics have been re-evaluatedsince their original descriptions, although many of these islandshave been heavily impacted by habitat conversion, species introductions,over-exploitation, and secondary ripple effects. Evidence from moleculargenetics and paleontology suggests that many taxa arrived in theregion since the last glacial advance. Some of these nominal endemicsshow minimal differentiation, while others comprise multiple evolutionarylineages. The NPC may also have played an important role in the insitu diversification of some taxa (paleoendemics) during the Pleistocene.Evidence, such as new fossil discoveries and numerous described endemics,lends support for refugia hypotheses. However, these ideas cannotbe tested until a better understanding of geographic variation andthe evolutionary relationships of the fauna and flora of the NorthPacific Coast is developed. This framework would provide significantinsight into the dynamic biogeographic history of the region andhelp prioritize conservation efforts