Wherever a person goes, the vegetation becomes more monotonous. At least that’s what can be said when people move to live on previously uninhabited islands, because that’s exactly what was revealed in a recent scientific study.
An international team of researchers led by Nicholas Strandberg of the University of Southampton in England conducted a study on islands in the South Pacific Ocean.
They write in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution that over the last 3,000 years or so, the difference between the flora growing on different islands has narrowed. The uniqueness of the vegetation of individual islands has decreased and the vegetation has become more homogeneous across all islands.
Scientists attribute these changes to simultaneous human migration to these islands.
People inhabited the islands of the South Pacific Ocean in two phases. The first major wave of migration headed towards Western Polynesia, Melanesia and Samoa between 3,500 and 2,800 years ago. Subsequently, between 1,000 and 700 years ago, human settlements spread to the rest of the islands, including Easter Island, Hawaii and New Zealand.
Scientists recognize that vegetation will soon begin to change after the arrival of humans. People bring with them new plants and animals that did not live there before. People begin to cultivate fields, light fires and build houses.
As a result of these activities, some plant species may disappear from the island, sometimes even becoming completely extinct. In this way the differences in vegetation between the islands decrease and the vegetation picture harmonizes.
At the same time, the study revealed that vegetation in areas above sea level remained more distinctive than in lower lands, probably because there has been less human activity and its impact there.
Strandberg and his colleagues analyzed ancient pollen collected in the swamps and lake sediments of 13 South Pacific islands and, based on this, drew conclusions about what plants grew on those islands before and after the arrival of humans.
Scientific news is broadcast on Vikerradio from Monday to Friday at approximately 8.35am and on Saturday at approximately 8.25am.
2024-01-16 07:38:00
the-first-inhabitants-of-the-south-sea-islands-gave-a-boost-to-the-vegetation-to-make-it-more-uniform-environment