升天群岛位于大西洋中部山脊上,是一个渗出的地方,上面有神秘的魅力和天体伏都教。这场火山岩的遥远露头吸引了勇敢的探险家的心灵,所有这些都是为了揭开大西洋一些最大的秘密。现在,路易斯·罗沙(Luiz Rocha)博士和科学潜水员团队抓住了一个短暂的机会,可以研究和了解水下居民的生物学,进化和历史,这些居民称这种岩石露头为家。
The Ascension Islands sits picturesquely between the West African coast and Brazil, just north of the equator. Its geographical isolation is second to none in the region, with the closest island mass being situated about 750 miles southeast. That island is St. Helena, sister to Ascension. This isolation and detachment from the rest of the Atlantic islands presents us with one of the best cases of allopatric speciation in modern day reef fish.
到目前为止,令人惊讶的是,超过一百种将这块岩石称为家。其中11个是地方性的,在地球上没有其他地方。在检查流行的动物区系时,可以在曾经是该岛的东部和西部祖先的物种中绘制相似之处。随着渗透到这样的区域,不可避免的遗传隔离和生态专业化开始了,为进化和物种形成了阶段。
But in the grand scheme of reef fish distribution and evolution, a few red flags are present that need addressing. How did they get here? How long have they been here? And more importantly, where did they come from and how are they interacting with this environment in unison?
这些是路易斯·罗莎(Luiz Rocha)博士和他的团队开始回答的一些问题。在过去的几天中,社交媒体具有讽刺的残酷味道,以缓慢而脱衣舞的味道,其中包括一些在升天中拍摄的地方性宝石。对于那些渴望进一步了解这次探险和围绕这个岛屿的神秘雾霾的人,却不感到烦恼。路易斯·罗恰(Luiz Rocha)博士将在即将在华盛顿特区举行的MacNA 2015上发表所有巴洛克式细节。
Take this as an open invitation. The stage has been set, with stories awaiting to be told. All we ask from you is to enjoy, have some popcorn, and relish the recount at this year’s biggest conference to date. Until then, these photos below should serve as a light snack to bridge the wait. How many endemics can you identify and name?