The History of a Remote Caribbean Cay, Isla Aves, and Its Terrestrial Biota: A Review and New Data

When discovered in the early 1500s, Isla Aves was a remote guano-covered Caribbean island much larger than it is at present. Gradually over subsequent centuries it became smaller, either leaving behind, or supplanted by, several small cays, now represented by a single coral cay located west of Dominica and south of St. Croix. As it shrank, some of its original biota disappeared, never to return. This island was visited many times over the intervening centuries with explorers recording its dimensions, location, physical features, and notes on various components of its terrestrial biota. Only since 1978 has it been permanently occupied by people. The present paper reviews its history, reports on a previously unpublished survey of its terrestrial biota in 1966, and chronicles what is known about the changes in that biota over time, including recent and ongoing research emanating from an on-site Venezuelan research facility. The various reports over the ages can serve as “time capsules” providing insight into the responses to change under previous conditions, and the present one as a baseline for evaluating those that may result from projected climatic instability and rising sea-level.