bi•o•ge•og•ra•phy noun [bahy-oh-jee-og-ruh-fee]: the study of the geographical distribution of living things1.

Photograph by Sam Abell, National Geographic Stock.

In its broadest sense, island biogeography is the study dedicated to figuring out why certain plants and animals came to exist on a specific island or group of islands. What factors allowed a species like the Galapagos turtle to end up in a small cluster of islets over a thousand miles away from any continent? How did the plump little Kiwi find its way to New Zealand without any wings to fly over the sea? Why can the same species of butterfly be found on two distinct islands separated by an entire ocean? These are the questions that biogeography aims to answer by observing populations and taking into account biotic (living) and abiotic (nonliving) environmental factors.

The obvious isolation of islands away from mainland sources of plants and animals has allowed geographers and biologists to think outside of the box and expand their understanding of the factors influencing evolution and species migration. The fact that many seemingly deserted islands in the middle of the ocean can be teeming with life is testament to the journeys that some animals will travel will travel–often covering vast amounts of water– and the adaptability of species to new environments.

Continue reading “Wednesday Word(s) of the Week: Island Biogeography”