Islands and Snakes

Abstract Snakes have been successful colonizers of islands, where some have replaced mammals as top carnivores and are key elements in food webs. Snakes are present or dominant on islands because of speciation in situ, invasion from the sea, and various immigration events involving dispersal or human introductions. In this second volume of Islands and Snakes, the authors emphasize the diversity of insular snakes, discuss their biogeography and evolution, and point out the need for conservation of insular species. As in the first volume, aspects of insular ecology and evolution are important topics for understanding the successes and challenges of insular snakes. New emphases on diversity and conservation include some important topics that were not addressed in the earlier volume, such as reproductive biology, historical biogeography and taxonomy of insular species, snake diversity on large islands, threats and collapse of insular systems, and the impacts of invasive species on islands. This volume also includes descriptions of natural history and diversity of snakes on important islands not previously given much popular attention. In diverse ways, the various authors create an awareness of conservation issues and hopefully promote interest and mitigation actions to preserve insular snakes and the islands on which they live. As with all biodiversity, snakes are important in several well-known contexts including evolutionary history, scientific value, ecosystem services, and enhancing the richness of life’s experiences here on Earth. Conservation of insular snakes is important for aesthetic and cultural values as well as for the scientific reasons discussed in this and the previous volume.