The disappearance of Guam's wildlife: new insights for herpetology, evolutionary ecology, and conservation

Product Type: Journal Article

Year: 1997

Author(s): Rodda, G.H., T.H. Fritts, and D. Chiszar

Suggested Citation:
Rodda, G.H., T.H. Fritts, and D. Chiszar. 1997. The disappearance of Guam's wildlife: new insights for herpetology, evolutionary ecology, and conservation. BioScience 47(9): 565-574.

Abstract

Guam is an American island near the middle of Micronesia, an archipelago of “micro” islands in the middle of the western Pacific Ocean. The largest island of Micronesia, Guam covers only 541 km2. It is shaped like an elongated peanut, 4 km across the narrow waist and 45 km long. The closest larger island is Manus, which is 1740 km to the south, across the equator and north of New Guinea. Few species are found on small, remote islands such as Guam. To reach a land mass with levels of biodiversity comparable to what is found on continents, one must travel over 2000 km south to New Guinea, west to the Philippines, or north to Japan…