Most research on the role of introduced species of plants and animals stresses their negative ecological¹ impacts. But are all introduced species bad actors? In one fascinating case the answer might be no. The iconic giant tortoises of the Galapagos Islands are thriving on a diet heavy on non-native plants. In fact, the tortoises seem to prefer these plants to native ones.

 

Introduced plants began to increase in abundance on the Galapagos Islands in the 1930s as native highland² vegetation was cleared for agriculture, and the rate of introductions has been increasing ever since.

 

The giant tortoises, for their part, seem headed in the opposite direction. Until the late Pleistocene epoch³, they were found on all the continents except Antarctica. Today they survive in only two locations: the Aldabra Atoll in the Indian Ocean, and the Galapagos Archipelago in the eastern Pacific Ocean. In the Galapagos, all of the remaining subspecies are considered vulnerable or endangered.

 

But now in a surprising turn of events, field research in the Galapagos shows that introduced plants make up roughly half the diet of two subspecies of endangered tortoise. What's more, these plants seem to benefit the tortoises nutritionally, helping⁴ them stay fit and feisty.

 

The research, published in the March issue of Biotropica, was conducted by Stephen Blake, PhD, an honorary research scientist at Washington University in St. Louis and Fredy Cabrera of the Charles Darwin Foundation in the Galapagos.

 

"Biodiversity conservation is a huge problem confronting managers on the Galapagos Islands, "Blake said. "Eradicating⁵ the more than 750 species of invasive plants is all but impossible, and even control is difficult. Fortunately, tortoise conservation seems to be compatible with the presence of some introduced species."

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