The highlands are completely different from most of our visiting sites, because we experience the varied flora of the Galapagos. We pass through the different communities or zones of vegetation and we are able to understand that the vegetation varies within altitude. As a result we have seven zones on one island. Though today we reached the fourth, we did see many different species of plants. Some were brought in to cultivate, some are natives and many are endemic, such as the Galapagos tomato.
The population of this endemic tomato is uniform. The reason is that the plant is self-fertilized, meaning that there is very little gene exchange between each plant. Tortoises and mockingbirds help the dispersal and germination of the seeds of this plant. The seeds have a thick coat and it is only after they have gone through the gut of these two animals that they will germinate. Isn't this amazing?
