Hawai'i: A Natural Entomological Laboratory

Well over 90% of Hawai'i's plants and animals are endemic. This special character of Hawai'i is due to its largely volcanic origin and its location some 2,500 miles from the nearest continent. Many groups of organisms never became established on the islands, but derivatives of the few species that did colonize Hawai'i evolved in amazing ways. The isolated island environment, in which evolution seems to have proceeded more rapidly than in continental areas, creates a natural laboratory that has fostered many fruitful scientific studies.