Green Mountain
Encyclopedia
Green Mountain is a common name for "The Peak", the highest point, on Ascension Island
which has gained some fame for claims that it is one of very few large-scale artificial forest
s.
's (July 1836), described the volcanic island as barren with very few plants, some of them endemic
to the island, not to be found anywhere else. Scientists estimate the island's native vascular plants to be between 25 and 30 species, 10 of them endemic to Ascension (Ashmole 2000, Gray et al. 2005). This impoverished flora
is a consequence of the age of the island (only 1 million years old) and isolation (over 1500 kilometres (932.1 mi) - from any major landmass). Then, in 1843, the British plant collector Joseph Dalton Hooker
visited the island with Sir James Clark Ross
's Antarctica expedition. Hooker proposed a plan to plant the island with vegetation to attempt to increase rainfall
and make life more bearable for the garrison that was stationed there (see Duffey 1964). Crucially he saw the appointment of a farm superintendent as being the key to success.
From that time on many plants have been introduced and Hooker's plan can be seen from one angle as an overwhelming success. An 1865 Admiralty
report stated on the subject of Green Mountain that "(the island) now possesses thickets of 40 kinds of trees, besides numerous shrubs; through the spreading of vegetation, the water supply is now excellent". By the early 1900s many crops such as banana
s and guava
s were growing naturally. It is unlikely that this success lead to an increase in rainfall, however, but increased capture of occult deposition (mist) by the greater amount of vegetation has probably resulted.
The outcome, however, is not a man-made tropical forest, or a cloud forest
as is sometimes claimed (see Wilkinson 2004 and Gray 2004), but a mosaic of habitats including woodland, grassland, and shrubland. It has also been claimed that this ecosystem has emerged without any coevolution among its constituent species, and such claims have been taken for granted by recent writers on the ecology of St. Helena and Ascension because it is "a wholly artificial ecosystem" (Ashmole 2000, p 250). But things are never as simple as they seem, as some of the species imported to Green Mountain were imported precisely because of their evolutionary relationships. For example, many legumes (members of the pea family) were introduced to Ascension, and legumes are exploited the world over for their apparent nitrogen fixation qualities. This actually arises as a result of an evolutionary relationship with the micro-organisms that are directly responsible for the nitrogen fixation. Coevolutionary relationships have also been directly exploited, for example for the control of the prickly pear cactus (Opuntia vulgaris) through the use of the cactus moth (Catoblastus sp.). Today's ecologists are concerned about the effect these alien species are having on the endemic species of the island. At least four endemic species are extinct and the remainder are in danger of becoming so. Because of this, Green Mountain is now a national park where endemic species are actively conserved.
The mineral
dalyite was first found at Green Mountain.
Ascension Island
Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island in the equatorial waters of the South Atlantic Ocean, around from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America, which is roughly midway between the horn of South America and Africa...
which has gained some fame for claims that it is one of very few large-scale artificial forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s.
History and Vegetation
Many early 19th century accounts, including Charles DarwinCharles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
's (July 1836), described the volcanic island as barren with very few plants, some of them endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
to the island, not to be found anywhere else. Scientists estimate the island's native vascular plants to be between 25 and 30 species, 10 of them endemic to Ascension (Ashmole 2000, Gray et al. 2005). This impoverished flora
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
is a consequence of the age of the island (only 1 million years old) and isolation (over 1500 kilometres (932.1 mi) - from any major landmass). Then, in 1843, the British plant collector Joseph Dalton Hooker
Joseph Dalton Hooker
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker OM, GCSI, CB, MD, FRS was one of the greatest British botanists and explorers of the 19th century. Hooker was a founder of geographical botany, and Charles Darwin's closest friend...
visited the island with Sir James Clark Ross
James Clark Ross
Sir James Clark Ross , was a British naval officer and explorer. He explored the Arctic with his uncle Sir John Ross and Sir William Parry, and later led his own expedition to Antarctica.-Arctic explorer:...
's Antarctica expedition. Hooker proposed a plan to plant the island with vegetation to attempt to increase rainfall
Rain follows the plow
Rain follows the plow is the conventional name for a now-discredited theory of climatology that was popular throughout the American West and Australia during the late 19th century. The phrase was employed as a summation of the theory by Charles Dana Wilber:God speed the plow......
and make life more bearable for the garrison that was stationed there (see Duffey 1964). Crucially he saw the appointment of a farm superintendent as being the key to success.
From that time on many plants have been introduced and Hooker's plan can be seen from one angle as an overwhelming success. An 1865 Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
report stated on the subject of Green Mountain that "(the island) now possesses thickets of 40 kinds of trees, besides numerous shrubs; through the spreading of vegetation, the water supply is now excellent". By the early 1900s many crops such as banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
s and guava
Guava
Guavas are plants in the myrtle family genus Psidium , which contains about 100 species of tropical shrubs and small trees. They are native to Mexico, Central America, and northern South America...
s were growing naturally. It is unlikely that this success lead to an increase in rainfall, however, but increased capture of occult deposition (mist) by the greater amount of vegetation has probably resulted.
The outcome, however, is not a man-made tropical forest, or a cloud forest
Cloud forest
A cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical evergreen montane moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level. Cloud forests often exhibit an abundance of mosses covering the ground and...
as is sometimes claimed (see Wilkinson 2004 and Gray 2004), but a mosaic of habitats including woodland, grassland, and shrubland. It has also been claimed that this ecosystem has emerged without any coevolution among its constituent species, and such claims have been taken for granted by recent writers on the ecology of St. Helena and Ascension because it is "a wholly artificial ecosystem" (Ashmole 2000, p 250). But things are never as simple as they seem, as some of the species imported to Green Mountain were imported precisely because of their evolutionary relationships. For example, many legumes (members of the pea family) were introduced to Ascension, and legumes are exploited the world over for their apparent nitrogen fixation qualities. This actually arises as a result of an evolutionary relationship with the micro-organisms that are directly responsible for the nitrogen fixation. Coevolutionary relationships have also been directly exploited, for example for the control of the prickly pear cactus (Opuntia vulgaris) through the use of the cactus moth (Catoblastus sp.). Today's ecologists are concerned about the effect these alien species are having on the endemic species of the island. At least four endemic species are extinct and the remainder are in danger of becoming so. Because of this, Green Mountain is now a national park where endemic species are actively conserved.
The mineral
Mineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
dalyite was first found at Green Mountain.
Geography and Access
The Mountain, situated within the national park zone can be accessed via the main road from Georgetown. However vehicle access does not extend to the top of the mountain. A footpath exists up to the old barracks and disused water catchment area. This continues to an observation station, where there is also a Dew Pond, formed by the collection of water on top of the mountain. The area is maintained for visitors to a certain extent and a passage is provided through the dense vegetation. The highest point of the mountain is marked by an anchor chain, which is just up from the Dew Pond.See also
- Coevolution
- Ecological fittingEcological fittingEcological fitting is "the process whereby organisms colonize and persist in novel environments, use novel resources or form novel associations with other species as a result of the suites of traits that they carry at the time they encounter the novel condition.” It can be understood as a situation...
- International Mineralogical AssociationInternational Mineralogical AssociationThe International Mineralogical Association is an international group of 38 national societies. The goal is to promote the science of mineralogy and to standardize the nomenclature of the 4000 plus known mineral species...
- List of mountains and hills of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
- TerraformingTerraformingTerraforming of a planet, moon, or other body is the hypothetical process of deliberately modifying its atmosphere, temperature, surface topography or ecology to be similar to those of Earth, in order to make it habitable by terrestrial organisms.The term is sometimes used more generally as a...