“…Why is this? In other contexts, such as the insular Pacific, size, distance, and degree of isolation-geometric variables that drive biogeographic patterning more broadly-have been shown to structure insular settlement, e.g., [2,29]. Indeed, island area has, since Cherry's early work [30][31][32], consistently been viewed as a major factor in explaining variation in the data, both for agropastoral settlement [28] and, more recently, in preceding hunter-gatherer exploitation [33].…”