The Galapagos IslandsBiodiversity Hotspots

The Ecology of The Galapagos Islands

The IslandsAround five million years ago Volcanic Eruptions in the Pacific Ocean gave birth to an new Archipelago 600 miles from the country of Ecuador.

This group of Islands had flat shorelines and mountainous interiors, but despite its equatorial location, the habitat of several of the Islands was desert-like.

Thirteen major Islands, eight smaller ones, and around forty islets now comprise the entire Archipelago known officially as Archipelago de Colon. Also known as the Galapagos Archipelago or simply the Galapagos Islands.

The Galapagos are a dynamic region that changes frequently with volcanic eruptions.

There are new lava fields forming and Islands eroding and expanding constantly.

AnimalsGalapagos Penguins: the only living tropical penguinThe Humboldt Current is the one that brought them all the way up to these tropical latitudes.Red-billed Tropic BirdWaved Albatross: the only living tropical albatrossBlue Footed Boobies: popular among visitors for their large blue feet which they show off in courtshipGalapagos PelicanNazca boobiesLava Gull BirdGalapagos Hawk: the islands' main scavenger and "environmental police"

Galapagos Finches: popularly called Darwin's finches. Among them is the sharp-beaked ground finch which is sometimes called the "vampire finch" for its blood-sucking habits, and the tool-using woodpecker finch.Galapagos SnakeGalapagos Land IguanaGalapagos Marine Iguana: the only iguana feeding in the seaGalapagos Giant Tortoises: known as galápago in Spanish, it gave the name to the islandsSea Lions and Fur Sea Lions: closely related to the California sea lion, but smallerGalapagos SharkHammerhead SharksGalapagos DolphinsGalapagos Crabs

However, there have been over 200 species brought to the island which did not naturally

belong there.

AnimalsThe Galapagos animals are unique in the world due to its exotic wildlife and environment that can only be seen in this group of beautiful and enchanted islands located in the Pacific Ocean.

Animals in the Galapagos are unafraid of man and they are so different from any others found elsewhere.

At least 45 Galapagos species have now disappeared. Or are facing extinction. 5 mammals, 6 birds, 5b reptiles, 1 echinoderm, 6 fishes, 7 corals, 6 brown algae and 9 red algae.

ClimateThe climate at the Galapagos Islands is subtropical and it is regulated by the warm El Nino Current and the cold Humboldt Current.

June to December - From June to December the southern trade winds bring the colder Humbolt current north to the Galapagos. This means that the water is cooler, and a layer of high atmosphere mist pervades the island skies. In effect, the highlands of the larger islands are kept green and lush, while the sea level islands and shorelines have little precipitation.Thus, June to December is generally called the "dry season "known for its blue skies and mid-day showers.

During this season tourist may observe a big amount of species around the islands or the sea such as: giant tortoises, Humpback whales, blue- footed boobies, cormorants, oystercatchers, lava lizards, Galapagos hawks, masked boobies, swallow tailed gulls, sea lions, lava herons, brown noddies, penguins, etc.

ClimateDecember to May - The time period between December and May is considered the "warm season." During this warmer season, the Galapagos' climate is more tropical with daily rain and cloudier skies. Also, the ocean temperature is warmer for swimming and snorkeling.

During this season tourist may observe a big amount of species around the islands or the sea such as: marine iguanas, sea turtle, land iguanas, flamingos, white-cheeked pintails, masked boobies, marine iguanas, albatross, blue-footed boobies, etc.

Marine Currents- The Humboldt Current's influence brings cold waters especially during the mist rainy season (cool weather) from July to December. "El Niño" current may bring warm waters to the Galapagos and will make the surface warmer and rainfall increase (January to June).

Affect of El Niño on the EcologyEl Niño The global weather anomaly hit the Galapagos hard. While an entirely natural occurrence, the weather pattern took a vital part of the ecosystem out of the chain. Many fish searched for different waters to feed upon. The fur seals were most greatly affected as they depend on the fish closer to the surface.

The surface waters were heated more during the attacks of El Niño, and the fur seals between ages 1-4 were virtually all wiped out. El Niño also affected coastal birds. The absence of fish in the coastal waters meant that many of the traditional nest areas for birds were abandoned.

Tourism and the Saving of SpeciesBut tourism so far is one of the few guarantees that the giant tortoises will continue to live. Poaching has declined from a combination of government control, and tourists who make live tortoises worth more than dead ones. Due to man’s exploitation, tortoises are extinct in all but the most remote archipelagos like the Galapagos and the Seychelles, with fourteen subspecies represented in the Galapagos.

Ecuador has taken many steps to protect its unique wildlife and attract economy-sustaining tourists. For tourists, Santa Cruz Island is home to most of the archipelago’s tortoises. The famous tortoise, Lonesome George, resides at Santa Cruz and is believed to be sole survivor of the Santa Pinta Island sub-species.

Hopefully with cooperation from government officials and local islanders, the other thirteen sub-species of Galapagos Island tortoises will continue to flourish.

Why Are the Galapagos Islands

Considered a Hotspot?

Hotspots

A Biodiversity Hotspot is an area with a high concentration of diverse animals and plant life which is potentially important to the world and will need protection. They are usually under threat from habitat loss, species lost and climate change.

The Galapagos IslandsThe Galapagos Islands are considered to be Biodiversity hotspots for many reasons. For years the islands remained uninhabited by people, which means that the wildlife thrived. With little influence from the rest of the world, the animals and plant life in the Galapagos developed and evolved, allowing for an interesting insight into the development of the world. The Galapagos Islands inspired Darwin’s ground breaking theory of evolution when he noticed that birds on different islands, though very similar in most ways, had adapted to fit with their environment on the different Islands. Therefore the Islands were the origin of one of the biggest theories about the development of humans.

Human Impacts on the

Galapagos Islands

MigrationThe population of the Galapagos Islands has increased dramatically in the space of a few decades because of immigrants from Ecuador looking for work in the islands. In the 1990s there were just over 9000 people living on the islands, however currently there are now over 20000 living on the archipelagos. This causesa a great strain on the natural resources on the Islands, and the extra pollution and waste is detrimental to the Galapagos, as most waste is just burnt and remains unsorted in the burning process. It is predicted that the population will be at 40000 by 2014.

TourismAs more the Galapagos Islands became more well known, it became a big tourist destination despite the cost of getting there. In the sixties 1000 people visited the Islands, yet now roughly 80000 people visit them annually, which is a dramatic increase. This is a problem for many reasons. Tourists bring with them extra waste and could potentially destroy parts of the nature in the island from their exploration and taking ‘souvenirs’, as well as potential harm from their interactions with the fairly tame animals that inhabit the Islands. Another problem with tourists is the need to cater for them. There are two airports in the area with discussions of a third which would increase tourism more and the extra runways would cut into the natural areas of the Islands. There will have to be hotels and tourist entertainment built onto the islands to cater for the increased visitors as well as more services needed.The national park charges $100 for foreign visitors, however only 25% of this money goes to conserving the area, so there is the chance that more harm will be caused.

Over-FishingOver-fishing is a big problem in the Galapagos Islands. The abundance of sea creatures made it an ideal place for fishing, and the migrants who can’t find work in the tourist industry move to the fishing industry instead.In the past there was a big Asian market for sharks and sea cucumbers, so they were greatly over-fished to sell on. This meant a decrease in the population of these animals, which resulted in fishing restrictions from the early 1990s. This caused disputes amongst the fishermen, which are still present today. In 2004 a fisherman seized the Charles Darwin Station demanding an ease of the fishing restrictions which resulted in a deal between the centre and the fisherman which allowed some relaxing of the restrictions. This means that there could still be the potential for more fishing and the depletion of some species.

Introduced SpeciesAs well as removing some species, humans have brought with the other animals which are not native to the Islands. These animals are a risk as they disrupt the areas that took hundreds of years to develop and may threaten the endemic species. For example, dogs which are taken to the island are a threat to the turtle eggs, as well as iguanas and even penguins. Goats probably have the most significant effect on the Islands. Brought over with pirates in the 1800s, they have bred or increased in number to 100 000 from an original four. These goats disrupt the native animals and could ruin the vegetation in the area and cause extra erosion. Because of their ability to feed on any plants, it has been predicted that goats have been responsible for the extinction of 4 or 5 native species, and they compete with the endangered turtles in the area as well. There are now people trying to get rid of the goat population by culling them, however this isn’t as effective as it was hoped.

Project Isabela

Project Isabela has four phases:Where the density of goats is high, as is the case in many places on northern Isabela, goats are eliminated by aerial hunting by helicopter, to rapidly reducing the number of goats.Once density has been reduced, goats are to be hunted on land by experienced hunting teams helped by specially trained dogs. Hunters will use .223 calibre rifles with telescopic sights. These rifles are very accurate at long range. Dogs are trained in Galapagos using techniques developed in New Zealand; they have learned to track goats and shepherd them while waiting for the hunters to arrive on the scene. The dogs are trained to ignore any other animal.Once the number of goats has been significantly reduced by means of aerial and terrestrial hunting, the “Judas Goat” technique will be applied. This consists of putting radio collars on at least 600 goats, which are freed at several strategic places on the island. As goats are naturally gregarious, individuals with collars will look for remaining herds, thus, by radio tracking, leading the hunters to their objectives.The last phase is that of monitoring, to ensure that the eradication has been complete.

Project Isabela takes place on the Isabela island, the biggest Island in the Archipelago, and aims to control the goat problem on the Island.

TurtlesAfter discovering the island, pirates and other sailors discovered the potential they had as a food source. Originally transporting goats, the sailors found the native turtles to be a better tasting alternative which could be stored in ships for months without food or water. The turtles were actually a store of water, so provided necessary things for the long sea voyages. This meant that they were stacked into ships and stored for food. This led to a decrease in the amount of turtles on the islands and therefore means that a lot of the types of turtles are endangered, and some have become extinct.Lonesome George is the only remaining turtle of his kind, Pinta Island Tortoise, and was found on the Pinata Island in 1971. It is thought that the other turtles of his kind suffered after their food source was eaten by the goats.

Physical Challenges to the Ecosystem

Climate Change•The ocean temperature will rise•There will be increased amounts of rain and higher temperatures•Sea levels will rise•El Nino and La Nina weather patterns•Effects will be reduced fish stocks, damage to plant and animal life, a decrease in biodiversity and a decrease in local economy

Alien Species•They take away food that the native animals rely on•They are difficult to exterminate•Kill many different endemic species for food

Adaptations

Galapagos Penguin

Stand with Flippers Extended

Small size; larger surface area to size ratio

Bare skin on feet and face

No annual breeding season; may produce up to three clutches of eggs a year

Chicks develop plumage only 30 days after hatching

Galapagos Fur Seal

Have learnt to cool their bodies in tide pools; thermoregulation.

Very agile in water, but have to be taught to swim by mothers.

Hide in caves during the day

Ability to Sweat

Small Body Size