The Beak of the Finch (Magill’s Literary Annual 1991-2005)
At a glance:
- Author: Jonathan Weiner
- First Published: 1994
- Type of Work: Science
- Time of Work: 1973-1993
- Setting: The Galápagos Islands
- Principal Characters: Peter R. Grant, Rosemary Grant
- Genres: Nonfiction, Science and technology
- Subjects: Science or scientists, Islands, Birds, Environment or environmental health, Animals, Research, Evolution
- Locales: Galápagos Islands
Volcanic islands represent ideal laboratories for the study of ecology and living forms, for they permit flora and fauna to develop in almost complete isolation. From their origin as sterile masses of lava, over millennia they gradually develop topsoil; then seeds—borne by sea birds, by floating debris, or by humans on brief stops—begin to grow and develop. Once plant communities have been established, they form the basis for animal populations of marine mammals, pelagic birds, or insects and passerine birds blown off migratory courses by storms. A few small land vertebrates,...
[The entire page is 2074 words long]
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