Arrivals of Life to the Galápagos

In this book, Guillermo Paz-y-Miño-C and Avelina Espinosa synthesize the events connecting the accidental discovery of the Galápagos Islands by Tomás de Berlanga in 1535 with Charles Darwin's exploration of the archipelago in 1835, Herman Melville's sketches of The Encantadas, or Enchanted Isles, of 1856, and the geopolitics to control Baltra Island, or 'The Rock', where the United States established a military base from 1942 to 1946, during World War II. These themes are intertwined with discussions about the historical cartography of the Galápagos Islands, the geology of the archipelago, the hypotheses about the origins of the Galápagos terrestrial and marine organisms, and comparisons between Galápagos and other archipelagos, particularly Hawai'i. Offering over 250 figures and diagrams, this work will appeal to a broad audience, including professors in academia, college instructors, study-abroad and international field-trip leaders (with destination Galápagos), science writers, and policymakers.

Guillermo Paz-y-Miño-C holds a PhD in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior from the University of Missouri-Saint Louis, USA. He is an evolutionary biologist, recipient of a Citation for Outstanding Performance from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, USA, and author of 150 publications, including peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and editorials. He is the coauthor of the books Kin Recognition in Protists and Other Microbes; Measuring the Evolution Controversy; and author of Evolution Stands Faith Up: Reflections on Evolutions' Wars.Avelina Espinosa holds a PhD in Molecular Microbiology, and is Professor of Biology and Coordinator of Biotechnology Programs at Roger Williams University, USA. She is the recipient of a Young Investigator Award from the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. She has authored 50 publications, including peer-reviewed papers (two cover-journal articles), book chapters, and popular articles. She has coauthored two books: Kin Recognition in Protists and Other Microbes and Measuring the Evolution Controversy.