Oceanic Islands make up a sixth of all land on Earth. In the Pacific alone, more than 25,000 islands are scattered amidst the endless blue. From Hawaii’s rocky mountains, to coral atolls of the Maldives, each hosting unique communities of life and species found nowhere else on Earth. Ecosystems that would not exist if not for the powerful forces that pulled these mighty rocks from the abyss. Volcanism, and tectonics.

Chapters:
00:00 – An Introduction to Oceanic Islands 01:39 – Chapter 1: Life and Death of an Island – The Abundance of Islands 02:34 – Chapter 1: Life and Death of an Island – How Islands Form 03:26 – Chapter 1: Life and Death of an Island – How Coral Atolls Form 05:04 – Chapter 2: A Land of Opportunity – The Arrival of Life at Islands 07:48 – Chapter 2: A Land of Opportunity – Adaptive Radiation 08:52 – Chapter 2: A Land of Opportunity – The Story of Darwin’s Finches 09:33 – Chapter 2: A Land of Opportunity – A Scale Model of Evolution 11:37 – Chapter 2: A Land of Opportunity – The Lemurs of Madagascar 12:57 – Chapter 3: Life Beneath the Waves – The Island Mass Effect 14:02 – Chapter 3: Life Beneath the Waves – The Galapagos Humboldt Current 15:02 – Chapter 3: Life Beneath the Waves – The Importance of Mangroves 16:14 – Conclusion: The Importance of Islands 17:19 – Message from our Sponsor