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Summary: MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES
Mar Ecol Prog Ser
Vol. 309: 117129, 2006 Published March 15
INTRODUCTION
Island biogeography and evolutionary ecology of
species' ranges predict that island colonizers would be
composed of species or individuals with higher disper-
sal capacity (Holt 2003). The colonization of systems of
isolated islands by species with weak dispersal poten-
tial therefore remains a fascinating mystery. The dio-
ecious seagrass Cymodocea nodosa in the Canary
Islands is a particularly interesting model to address as
it is one of the dominant primary producers of the
islands. However its very weak dispersal potential
(Alberto et al. 2005) led us to question the mecha-
nisms behind colonisation and population mainte-
nance along this archipelago.
Population bottlenecks are severe reductions in ef-
fective population size caused by habitat fragmenta-
tion and isolation, which are generally conducive to a
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