Islands and Evolution

[manohar]

Why are Islands better places to see and study evolution?

[mith]

better scenery, researchers get bored easily.

[Darby]

Consider that divergence in species is helped by reproductive isolation of groups.

[alextemplet]

In most cases, island species have evolved from mainland species that adapted to the unique environment of the island. Since the ancestral species usually still exists on the mainland, researchers are provided with a rare opportunity to study how a living species adapts to a new environment. This would not be possible if the ancestral species were not still extant in its original mainland habitat.

[mcar]

That's also the very idea of Darwin's finches in Galapagos islands, right?

[skeptic]

Sometimes islands come in groups, which permits you to see the way the same ancestor radiates into different forms under the different environmental conditions on different islands. This was very true for the Galapagos and Darwin's finches.