[Posted by Chuck Almdale, submitted by Lillian Johnson]

The Guardian is a great source of environment and wildlife articles, with free access to a wide variety of topics.

A new island erupted from the sea – can it show us how nature works without human interference?
By Patrick Greenfield, 13 Oct 2025

From the article:

In the early 1980s, black-backed gulls started to nest on sections of the island, sheltering in one of the stormiest parts of the Atlantic Ocean. Their arrival kicked off an explosion of life. Guano carried seeds that quickly spread grasses along the island, fed in turn by the nutrients from the birds. For the first time, whole areas of bare rock became green.

Wasowicz says: “It’s surprising. From the times of Darwin, biologists thought that it was just plant species with fleshy fruits that could travel with birds. But the species on Surtsey do not have fleshy fruits. Almost all of the seeds on Surtsey were brought in the faeces of the gulls.”

One lesson from this living laboratory is that recovery after disturbance does not follow a single, predictable path, he says. Instead, it is shaped by multiple, sometimes surprising forces.

Vilmundardóttir says: “I feel that Iceland is really contributing something important to humankind by preserving this area. On the mainland, the impact of humans is everywhere. When I am on Surtsey, I am really in nature. All you can hear are the birds. You see orcas along the coastline and the seals popping out and watching.”