Patterns of ecotypic variation constitute some of the few 'rules' known to modern biology.
Here, we examine several well‐known ecogeographical rules, especially those pertaining to …

Many animal appendages, such as avian beaks and mammalian ears, can be used to
dissipate excess body heat. Allen's rule, wherein animals in warmer climates have larger …

Island faunas can be characterized by gigantism in small animals and dwarfism in large
animals, but the extent to which this so-called 'island rule'provides a general explanation for …

Islands have long been recognized as distinctive evolutionary arenas leading to
morphologically divergent species, such as dwarfs and giants. We assessed how body size …

Dramatic evolutionary changes occur in species isolated on islands, but it is not known if the
rate of evolution is accelerated on islands relative to the mainland. Based on an extensive …

Aim We assessed the generality of the island rule in a database comprising 1593
populations of insular mammals (439 species, including 63 species of fossil mammals), and …

Rodents are important components of nearly every terrestrial ecosystem and display
considerable ecological diversity. Nevertheless, a lack of data on the ecomorphology of …

The flora and fauna of oceanic islands have inspired research since the early scientific
explorations. Islands can be considered 'nature's test tubes'—simple systems with multiple …

How fast can a mammal evolve from the size of a mouse to the size of an elephant?
Achieving such a large transformation calls for major biological reorganization. Thus, the …

We are currently experiencing a resurgence of interest in ecogeographical rules, which
describe general trends in morphology and related traits along geographical gradients. In …