Tag: bird dispersal
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Birds, Not Wind, Brought Life to Iceland’s Youngest Island
Introduction: A New Tale of Surtsey’s Early Life For decades, scientists believed that wind carried the seeds and spores necessary to establish life on Surtsey, Iceland’s famously young volcanic island. A recent study, however, turns that assumption on its head. Researchers spanning Iceland, Hungary, and Spain have found that a majority of the 78 vascular…
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Birds, Not Wind: The Surprising Engine of Life on Iceland’s Youngest Island
Introduction: A fifty-year mystery finally resolves For decades, scientists believed that wind carried seeds to Surtsey, Iceland’s volcanic newborn, shaping its early plant life. A 1965 eruption created a pristine laboratory, where researchers watched a gradual, wind-dominated colonization unfold. But a transformative study published in Ecology Letters challenges that narrative, unveiling a more nuanced picture…