Importance of Ancient Lakes' Ecospheres
With respect to evolutionary biology, ancient lakes serve as natural isolation laboratories. For example, in the Galápagos Islands, ancient lakes form isolated 'water islands' in the midst of 'oceans of land'. An ancient lake's long lifespan may give rise to the evolution of endemic species (that are particular to their location). In comparison to the oceans, evolutionary biology examines the circumstances that conditioned the evolution of new species. In Lake Tanganyika, for instance, scientists study the adaptive radiation of cichlids, while in Lake Ohrid, research focuses on endemic mollusca.
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