Opportunities to directly observe how life colonizes newly formed land and how ecosystems subsequently develop are exceedingly rare. In a study published in the Journal of Plant Research, researchers at University of Tsukuba used genetic analyses to investigate the origin of Eleusine indica, a grass species found on Nishinoshima, an active volcanic island in the northwestern Pacific south of mainland Japan. Having newly emerged, the island offers a unique natural laboratory for understanding the earliest stages of biological colonization and ecosystem development.

Opportunities to directly observe how life colonizes newly formed land and how ecosystems subsequently develop are exceedingly rare. In a study published in the Journal of Plant Research, researchers at University of Tsukuba used genetic analyses to investigate the origin of Eleusine indica, a grass species found on Nishinoshima, an active volcanic island in the northwestern Pacific south of mainland Japan. Having newly emerged, the island offers a unique natural laboratory for understanding the earliest stages of biological colonization and ecosystem development.

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