Tahiti: A very hot biodiversity hot spot in the Pacific
Sunday, August 11, 2013 - 01:30
in Biology & Nature
Picturesque Tahiti may be the hottest spot for evolution on the planet. A recent biological survey of tiny predatory beetles has found that over 100 closely related species evolved on the island in about 1.5 million years. Given Tahiti's small area, slightly more than 1000 square kilometers, this adaptive radiation is the geographically densest species assemblage in the world.