Galapagos – Volcanic Islands

About 5 million years ago, 1000 km off the South American Pacific coast, the sea began to boil. Volcanoes grew up from the sea. Lava, rock and ash were released in huge eruptions. At the beginning, the volcanic islands were desolate and devoid of any life. But as soon as the lava had cooled down, the first colonists settled in the new habitat.

Many plant seeds were carried out to the archipelago by the wind from the far away mainland. The spores of mosses, ferns and seeds of more highly developed plants were among the first newcomers. Other colonists arrived on the volcanic islands by water. Sea lions and turtles conquered the remote island world on their forays through the Pacific.

Many animal species such as marine iguanas will have found their way via carriers such as floating tree trunks. Most plant species reached the archipelago as stowaways in the plumage of seabirds. The settlement lasted thousands of years. About every 10,000 years, a new species managed to establish itself permanently on the islands. Geographically isolated, subspecies developed over time from the colonists that had adapted to the special living conditions on the archipelago.

This explains why many endemic animal and plant species have been discovered in Galápagos. About 50% of all plants found there can only be found on these Pacific islands. With the arrival of humans, settlement was greatly accelerated. Sailors and settlers brought domestic animals to the islands. Pigs, goats, dogs and donkeys became feral and became part of the insular fauna. Other newcomers such as the house rat came to the remote region more by chance.

What they all have in common, however, is that they have a lasting influence on the original flora and fauna. While the domestic rat has specialized in the search for turtle eggs, goats and pigs cause great damage to the field and reduce the food supply for the native species. These are not up to the sudden evolutionary pressure.