The size of an island affects the extinction rate but also affects the speciatio

Question

The size of an island affects the extinction rate but also affects the speciation rate. For lizards on the Caribbean Islands, found empirically that for islands with an area of 3000 km or more, the rate of species creation on the island exceeds the rate of species from elsewhere. They attribute this to the "positive effects of area on speciation rate". The last statement can be explained in terms of the standard model of animal speciation. What is the "standard model" of speculation for animals, and how does it explain this statement?

Explanation / Answer

The "standard model" is the concept that geographically isolated members of a species will differentiate over time to the point that they become a separate species. Eventually, if brought back into contact, they will be unable to mate, or mating will produce non-viable or infertile offspring. The larger the area in an island, the more likely it is that there will be geographic separation between members of a given species, which increases that chances that speciation will occur. For this reason, the area of an island has a positive effect on the speciation rate.

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