IMPACT OF A CATASTROPHIC HURRICANE ON ISLAND POPULATIONS

Lizard and spider populations were censused immediately before and aft er Hurricane Lili on islands differentially affected by the storm surg e. The results support three general propositions. First, the larger o rganisms, Lizards, are more resistant to the immediate impact of moder ate disturbance, whereas the more prolific spiders recover faster. Sec ond, extinction risk is related to population size when disturbance is moderate but not when it is catastrophic. Third, after catastrophic d isturbance, the recovery rate among different types of organisms is re lated to dispersal ability. The absence of the poorer dispersers. Liza rds, from many suitable islands is probably the result of long-lasting effects of catastrophes.