Fossil Pollen as a Guide to Conservation in the Galápagos

Paleoecological evidence from the past 8000 years in the Galápagos Islands shows that six presumed introduced or doubtfully native species (Ageratum conyzoides, Borreria laevis/Diodia radula-type, Brickellia diffusa, Cuphea carthagenensis, Hibiscus diversifolius, and Ranunculus flagelliformis) are i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2008-11, Vol.322 (5905), p.1206-1206
Main Authors: van Leeuwen, Jacqueline F.N, Froyd, Cynthia A, van der Knaap, W.O, Coffey, Emily E, Tye, Alan, Willis, Katherine J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biodiversity conservation
Bogs
Botany
Brevia
Conservation
Conservation of Natural Resources
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Ecology - methods
Ecosystem
Ecuador
Environmental conservation
Exact sciences and technology
Fossils
Humans
Invasive species
Magnoliopsida
Nonnative species
Normativity
Paleobotany
Paleoecology
Paleontology
Plants
Pollen
Population ecology
Species
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Summary:Paleoecological evidence from the past 8000 years in the Galápagos Islands shows that six presumed introduced or doubtfully native species (Ageratum conyzoides, Borreria laevis/Diodia radula-type, Brickellia diffusa, Cuphea carthagenensis, Hibiscus diversifolius, and Ranunculus flagelliformis) are in fact native to the archipelago. Fossil pollen and macrofossils from four sites in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island reveal that all were present thousands of years before the advent of human impact, refuting their classification as introduced species. These findings have substantial implications not only for conservation in Galápagos but for the management of introduced species and pantropical weeds in general.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1163454