Living Laboratories

Volcanic islands are invaluable for understanding how life colonizes new land:

• Surtsey (Iceland) — sealed off from humans since its 1963 formation, it has been colonized by mosses, insects, seals, and nesting seabirds, all tracked by scientists
• Galapagos — Darwin's volcanic islands showed how geographic isolation drives species evolution, with each island producing unique finch species
• Krakatoa — after the 1883 eruption sterilized the island, life returned within months; within 100 years, 350 plant species and dozens of bird and reptile species had recolonized.