Introduction to ecosystems

6.3.1 Darwin’s arrival on the Galápagos Islands

Although it is possible to follow in Darwin’s footsteps, as Dr David Robinson demonstrates in this video, the habitat has changed substantially as a consequence of the introduction of alien animals in the past. There are very few of the larger islands where you can see ecosystems unaffected by alien introductions and thus see them as Darwin saw them.

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The finches that Darwin brought back from the Galápagos hold a special place in the history of the development of the theory of evolution by means of natural selection. There are 13 species and they occupy different niches in the habitats on the islands.

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