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We assessed the biogeographical implications of Pleistocene sea‐level fluctuations on the surface area of Macaronesian volcanic oceanic islands. We quantified the effects of sea‐level cycles on surface area over 1000‐year intervals. Using data from the Canarian archipelago, we tested whether changes in island configuration since the late Pleistocene explain species distribution patterns.

Thirty‐one islands of four Macaronesian archipelagos (the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands and Cape Verde).

We present a model that quantifies the surface‐area change of volcanic islands driven by fluctuations in mean sea level (MSL). We assessed statistically whether Canarian islands that were merged during sea‐level lowstands exhibit a significantly higher percentage of shared (endemic) species than other comparable neighbouring islands that remained isolated, using multimodel …