On Fri, 05 Aug 2011 20:03:10 -1000, dsi1
> wrote:

>On 8/5/2011 2:24 PM, pure kona wrote:
>> On Thu, 04 Aug 2011 12:08:28 -1000, dsi1
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> On 8/4/2011 11:05 AM, Andy wrote:
>>>> > wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> On 8/4/2011 10:26 AM, Andy wrote:
>>>>>> "John > wrote:

>> Settlers to Hawaii came from the Marquesas, probably, and they brought
>> all the food plants and animals that they were used to. Hawaii was
>> quite barren and there was really nothing to eat once they landed. It
>> is not known if coconuts were even growing here when they arrived
>> about 1100 or 1200 years ago. (No recorded history:<)
>
>I have never heard that Hawaii was a barren place before the humans
>arrived. If this was true, one would expect the variety of flora and
>fauna to be limited to introduced species. This is not true since there
>are species in Hawaii found nowhere else. This probably means that they
>thrived and lived here long before man did. How long does it take for
>differing species of plants and animals to evolve? Hundreds of thousands
>of years would be my guess but I am no expert.
>
>I'm not sure that there are any barren tropical islands existing
>anywhere. I've never seen one.
>
>>
>> They brought along pigs and everything they needed for a life
>> elsewhere.
>>
>> aloha,
>> Cea

When our volcanic island arise out of the sea, there is nothing on
them for a long time. Makes sense? And slowly things get caught in
the jet stream and land - remember the eagle on Kauai long ago? or
they float along and land here- again - on the most isolated place on
earth.

Of course I am not a geologist- but you could go the Archives in
downtown Honolulu and get many more facts.

It should be a reminder that our only indigenous land mammal was the
Hawaiian Hoary Bat.

Evolution of a Species is well discussed by Darwin and many others.

But it is safe to assume not much edible stuff was here when the first
settlers arrived from the Marquesas. There were large forests of koa
and ohia. The seeds had floated along the waves or got caught in the
jet stream and were deposited here. Quite random

But then as soon as man came, many things were brought. Not only by
the early settlers form the Marquesas but Capt. Cook and Vancouver
brought cattle and English type pigs (that interbred with the wild
pigs and are thriving today) and horses etc. and to say nothing of
all that tropical vegetation from other tropical areas.

It is just evolution and it happens slowly.

aloha,
Cea