(University
of Hawaii)
|
Biogeography
is the study of how geography affects the biological world.
Geographic features play a dominant role in shaping Hawaii’s
natural world and make it a great place for biogeographic
studies. The Hawaiian islands make up the most extensive
archipelago on earth. They contain an incredible diversity
of terrain, habitat, and climate zones. Because of its
continuous formation over the hot spot, Hawaii represents
the world’s longest timeline of island formation. Scientists
‘travel through time’ as they study this island chain.
Hawaii’s extreme isolation has been the foremost influencing
factor in the unique evolution of these islands.
At right is a world map with Hawaii at the center
(as all maps should be.)
Hawaii is the most isolated
island groups in the world. The nearest continent, North
America, is over 2500 miles (4000 km) away. This extreme
isolation made it difficult for plants and animals to
colonize the islands. The odds of surviving the journey
by air or sea is small; making it here and establishing
a reproducing population is miraculous. On average, an
invertebrate successfully colonized Hawaii once in every
70,000 years, a plant once in every 100,000 years, and
a bird once in every million years. Above, an endangered
Hawaiian Monk Seal basks on an island beach just like
any other tourist.
All of Hawaii’s many
plants and animals are evolutionary descendents of colonizers
that made it here either by air or by sea. The Kolea,
or Pacific Plover, is an annual visitor to Hawaii. It
makes long non-stop flights from the Arctic circle every
fall and departs in the spring. Unlike the Kolea, most
colonizers made it here by accident carried in the air
by the jet stream and storm systems or by the ocean currents.
(Kirk
Aeder)
|
From the desert coastal environments, to the wettest spot on earth,
to snow-capped peaks, Hawaii contains one of the most
concentrated collections of climates and ecosystems on
the globe. A coconut palm-lined beach that receives less
than 10 inches (25cm) of rain annually is framed by the
arctic-climate, snow-covered summit of Mauna Loa volcano
at 13,570 feet (4,136m).
(Carl
Waldbauer)
|
The diverse array of
island geography allowed for the island’s biota to adapt
to different conditions. Above, a birdwatcher surrounded
by giant tree ferns searches the canopy for rare Hawaiian
forest birds in a cloud mist rainforest kipuka. Kipuka
are isolated stands of forest on older lava flows that
are surrounded on all sides by younger and less vegetated
lava flows. They
are, in effect, islands within islands.
(Carl
Waldbauer)
|
Ten miles upslope from
the cloud mist kipuka, as the I’iwi flies, is Lake Waiau.
Located near the summit of Mauna Kea at the 13,000 foot
(3962m) elevation, it is one of the highest alpine lakes
in the world. Once capped with glaciers Mauna Kea’s glacial
lake is fed by the melting of the glacial permafrost.
Geology
| Biogeography
| Evolution
| Conservation
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