On land, Galapagos research is focused on the distributions and effects of plant and animal species, communities, and their interactions with humans in a changing physical environment. Even the giant tortoises of the Galapagos are ecosystem engineers, shaping the archipelago’s terrestrial ecology. Interactions between Galapagos and the mainland occur via man-made air and sea pathways, and are the focus of species mobility studies, invasive species research, and programs to restore altered ecosystems. Our terrestrial ecology researchers examine succession studies, evolution and adaptive radiation, invasive species and eradication, and habit stress, recuperation, and restoration.
Understanding marine iguanas
Water cycles and soil formation
Research Projects
Agriculture, Wildlife, and Land Use in the Galapagos
People: Francisco Laso, Steve Walsh, Javier Arce-Nazario
Departments: Geography
Beaches in the Galapagos
People: Steve Walsh, Laura Brewington, Phil Page, Brian Frizzelle
Departments: Geography
Grass Genomes X Environments: A Hypothesis/Discovery-based Approach Connecting Genome with the Phenome of Plant Habit and Behavior in Natural Settings
People: Alan Jones, Corbin Jones
Departments: Biology
High Resolution, Commercial Satellite Imagery for Island Studies
People: Steve Walsh, Laura Brewington, Yang Shao, Francisco Laso, and Phil Page
Departments: Geography
Hybridization between Endemic and Invasive Plant Species in the Galapagos
People: Bryan Reatini, María de Lourdes Torres, Hugo Valdebenito, and Todd Vision
Departments: Biology
Lessons from the Environmental Resistome in Galapagos: A One Health Perspective
People: Alyssa Grube, Jill Stewart
Departments: Environmental Sciences & Engineering
Synthesis of Drivers, Patterns, and Trajectories of LCLUC in Island Ecosystems, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
People: Steve Walsh, Richard Bilsborrow, Laura Brewington, Yang Shao, Hernando Mattei, Francisco Laso, Phil Page, Brian Frizzelle
Departments: Geography
Water Cycling and Critical Zone Processes in the Tropics: The Galapagos as a Natural Laboratory
People: Xiaoming Liu, Diego Riveros-Iregui
Departments: Geological Sciences, Geography