The Explosive Truth:
A Volcano's Lifecycle
Audio Tour
The Transformation
Picture it: Oʻahu, 3 million years ago. The young volcanic island has made it out of the ocean and continues to grow. If you visited back then, there probably wouldn’t have been much to look at. How did plants and animals get here and create this lush landscape and biodiversity? Well, some living things got here on wind, on waves, and even on birds. These three examples are called “natural dispersal mechanisms,” which means that they aid in propagating life without the help of humans and modern technology. It takes thousands of years for islands to change from barren volcanic landscapes to lush biodiverse environments.
The large glass case on the wall in front of you tells the story of what things arrived to our Islands and how they got here. On the left we have plants and animals that came through natural dispersal mechanisms, including seeds dropped by birds, and even a tiny spider that used a technique called ‘ballooning’ in which they used their web threading to catch the wind and travel over 2,000 miles across the ocean to land here!
As you move to the right, other mechanisms are shown including the addition of humans who brought to Hawaiʻi, pigs, kalo (taro), and eventually pineapples, and even the mongoose. Take a look at the case and see if you notice any plants or animals you thought were native to Hawaiʻi but actually came with the help of humans!
During our next stop we will talk about the volcanoes that helped form Oʻahu. Move in front of the big windows for the best view!