How Sherwin Carlquist turned long-distance dispersal research into a field of empirical and experimental enquiry


While Sherwin J. Carlquist (1930–2021) did not originate the concept of long-distance dispersal and its role in evolution — a major pillar in Darwin’s theory (1859) — he almost single-handedly turned research on dispersal to insular habitats into an empirical and experimental research area. This contribution explains how and why this occurred based on Carlquist’s own papers and personal account, and provides a brief assessment of the historical context of his research on long-distance dispersal. I end on a personal note; in 1981, when I was a graduate student, Carlquist participated in a symposium on ‘Dispersal and Distribution’ in Hamburg, and the paper he gave there on intercontinental dispersal greatly influenced my own work.