Galapagos Islands Endemic Vertebrates: A Population Genetics Perspective

Modern population genetics and genomics research has revealed that the Galápagos Islands, pivotal to Darwin's theory of evolution, exhibit diverse evolutionary pressures among six iconic vertebrate species. Strong selection drove diversification in Darwin's finches and flight adaptation loss in the flightless cormorant, with candidate genes identified. Genetic drift significantly impacted small populations like the pink iguana and Galápagos hawk, while interisland gene flow was evident in marine iguanas and some finch species. Hybridization introduced adaptive variation, potentially leading to despeciation. These findings highlight the complex interplay of evolutionary forces shaping Galápagos biodiversity.

Hedrick, P. W. (2018). Galapagos Islands Endemic Vertebrates: A Population Genetics Perspective. Journal of Heredity, 110(2), 137–157. https://doi.org/10.1093/jhered/esy066