Abstract: Oceanic islands, due to their discrete geographic isolation, offer great opportunities for species conservation, being the natural laboratory for the study of biogeography and evolutionary ecology. The colonized species from continents or nearby islands are subjected to unique evolutionary processes, e.g., geographical isolation, character displacement and adaptive radiation, can accumulate mutations gradually, and ultimately evolve into new indigenous species that are genetically different from the original species on the oceanic islands. One of the most distinctive features of the biota on oceanic islands is the large number of endemics occurring in small areas. Owing to the limited distribution area, habitat frangibility and small population size, the oceanic island populations are suffering from much higher risk of extinction than mainland populations. This review introduced the origin, evolution, and genetic structure of oceanic island species as well as the conservation strategies for the endemic and endangered species, and discussed the formation mechanisms of oceanic island biodiversity, factors causing risks, and conservation urgency of oceanic island biodiversity.

Key words: Landscape pattern, Desert oasis, Fukang, Land utilization