Wildlife of the Galapagos Islands The wildlife life of the Galapagos is diverse and untouched by man. The islands inhospitableness ha s protected t he wildlife from man, allowing the wildlife to flourish. The wildlife on the island is not skittish like in urban areas. The islands are practically a different world with a strange mix of animals that are typically not found in the same place, like corals and penguins. Another curiosity about the wildlife is the finches of the Galapagos and how they were blown by wind to the islands most likely during Nino years. There are 13 different species and they all survive due to there beaks. Apart from the finches, the Pacific Green Sea Turtle is the only species that nests in the Galapagos. The Galapagos Giant Tortoises are different from sea turtles due to the fact they have long necks, legs not fins, and they never swim but can float. Other reptiles such as the Land iguanas survived by using their color adaptions like staying brown and yellow, since green colors are more noticeable to hawks. Marine iguanas are the only lizards that can swim and dive in saltwater because they have a tail longer than their body for swimming and their claws are sharp to keep a good grip while climbing. The Waved Albatross came by flying to the only place in the world where they are found. These birds are unique because they never left. The Albatross are monogamous which means they mate for life. Male Albatross dance and build nests to attract females and then teach their young the process as well. Another bird, the Flightless Cormorants arrived by ocean and they dive deep. They have thick legs and huge webbed feet to dive further. Due to their diving abilities, they filled up and empty niche in this environment. Also living near the water, Galapagos Sea Lions are larger than seals. The females are larger than the male and have a 9-month pregnancy like humans. Their friend the Penguin came due to ocean currents. They are the only equatorial penguin on the planet and are the second smallest penguin in the world. The Penguins survived well on the islands because of their preferred nesting habitat, the lava tubes. With all these marvelous animals the islands are actually small in comparison to most other places in the world. Raw unspoiled beauty and fierce wildlife create a sanctuary for the most unique wildlife in the world.
Galapagos-Conserving the Last Eden Juan Jose Alava is an ocean pollution program scientist at the Vancouver Aquarium. Juan spent time researching the biodiversity and issues in the Galapagos. He performed biopsy sampling on the Galapagos Sea Lions and determined they have been exposed to DDT. Global pollution by organic pollutants like pesticides are harming the islands greatly. Also, in the 1940s during WWII the United States navy had a base in the Galapagos. While they were there, they used DDT to kill the rats. Because of this DDT, will always remain. Fish and other wildlife will forever be exposed to this contaminant. Juan believes there is hope for the Galapagos due to the children of the world. Juan began his presentation discussing the currents of the Galapagos. The South Equatorial Current is where the Panama Current and the Peru Current meet. The Equatorial Undercurrent brings in nutrient rich water. This water has helped the wildlife evolve throughout the centuries. Charles Darwin spent a few weeks on the Galapagos Islands, in which he came up with the theory for natural selection. All the following animals have shown natural selection in their unique traits. The Darwin finches developed different beak sizes that adaptive radiation. The penguins on the island are the only ones near the equator. The flightless cormorant is the only cormorant species in the world that can not fly and are only found on the Islands. The Lava Heron, masca boobie, Blue Footed Booby’s foot attracts female, Galapagos Oystercatcher, Greater Flamingo, Galapagos dove, yellow mangrove warbler, Galapagos hawk. Frita bird red belly attracts the female. Marine iguanas dive 9-12 meters and spend an hour at time in the water. Sally Lightfoot Crab are very common around the Galapagos. There are about 13 species of the Galapagos’ Tortoises they can live up to 150 years. Lonesome George was the last tortoise of his species and is exhibited at the Charles Darwin Research Station. Largest biomass of sharks in the world. Few places in the world where you can see schools of hammerhead sharks. the sharks on the islands migrate back and forth and create ecological corridors. The Galapagos Orcas are developing and not many people now a lot about them. Galapagos seals are very shy around humans and they are located along the west side of the island. The biodiversity is threatened due to invasive species, increase in human population, burgeoning tourism, and pollution. The Galapagos human population is growing greatly. Santa Cruz and San Cristóbal are the most populated islands. The continentalization of the Galapagos Islands reduced the isolation of the islands. Ships are dangerous for the Galapagos because they could bring invasive species and the possibility of oil spills. The increase of human population causes an increase in solid waste. Solid waste pollution like hooks, nylon, propellers, and nets are a threat to sea lions. In 2001, the Jessica Oil Spill decreased the population of marine iguanas. Vessel and ships also impact animals due to collisions and the permitting of acoustic pollution. Primary production is the base of the food web in the Galapagos.
Submarine Morphology Ocean island evolution can be seen through morphology and structure of the hot spot archipelagos. These islands are some of the youngest in the world due to the movement of the Nazca Plate. The islands are located near the first ever discovered mid-ocean ridge hydrothermal vents. The submarine geology of the islands are still relatively unexplored. Submarine morphology allows scientists to understand why the islands are the way they are and how they have evolved. Scientists have determined many structures have impact the growth of the islands like rift zones, volcanic cones, and lava flows.
Galapagos Population Growth and Tourism The Galapagos Islands are one of the world’s leading tourism destinations due the extravagant species. Tourism in the Galapagos became popular in the 1970s and has increased over the years. The tourism of the Galapagos is similar to a double-edged sword. On one end of sword tourism provides jobs for individuals and brings in money for Ecuador every year. Natives from the mainland of Ecuador reside in Galapagos due to all the jobs centered around tourism. On the other end of sword tourism is drastically affecting the islands by introducing invasive species and harming the wildlife due to the trail of pollution they leave behind. Tourism in the Galapagos would not have been possible without the conservation of species and their environments. This is why there is an entrance fee of $100 to get onto the island. Ecotourism in Ecuador is beneficial to the economy but is unfortunate for the poor wildlife.
Galapagos Sustainable Ecotourism Conservation organizations became popular in the 1960s and 1970s. The world wildlife fund is the leader of conservation organizations worldwide. Nature tourism generates billions of dollars worldwide each year. Many travelers seek destinations that offer an ecological experience. According to travel agencies these travels seek “hot spot destinations” that are usually where species are endangered. The Galapagos one of these places and is a unique place in the world that is exposed to eco-tourism. This tourism effects the wildlife and the citizens of Ecuador. It provides jobs for these citizens but takes lives from the wildlife. With the increase of tourists, invasive species have been in introduced to precious habitats and this has contaminated them.
Charles Darwin, Origin of Species Charles Darwin explains the theory of evolution. He determined more individuals of each species are born than can possibly survive. Darwin explored the phenomenon of survival of the fittest. Being the fittest means the species is more adaptive to a partially environment. The traits of the fittest species gets passed on too the next generation. Darwin explained the difference between natural selection and artificial selection. Natural selection is how nature preserves specific traits in a species like Darwin’s finches. Artificial selection is the process of how humans preserves specific traits in a species like wolves and dogs. When two groups of a population separate from each other, natural selection cultivates specific traits that are beneficial to each group’s environment. If the species are separated long enough than two different species will emerge. The most popular example of this process are the Galapagos finches. The ancestry line of a species is best scene through a tree diagram. Darwin explains some branches die off and that there are missing links in the evolution of all species.
Evolution in the Galapagos The shells of the Galapagos tortoises are how Charles Darwin determined living creatures change over time. The Galapagos is how he determined that living creatures do evolve due to there surroundings. Three of the islands have their own distinct species of mocking bird. Then a forth species inhabits the rest of the islands. Darwin determined the species on the island aboriginal since they were found nowhere else, now known as endemic species. Darwin’s finches are a popular example in many textbooks due to their different beaks. Darwin actually never even payed attention to the birds during his time on the island but he did take some of the specimens with him. Daphne Major is considered the island of evolution. Researchers discovered small seeds during rainy years create small beaked offspring and the same for large seeds. Size of the beak correlates with the size of the food that particular year.
Galapagos Finch Evolution The Galapagos is home to a variety of species that live no where else in the world. The islands are considered to be very young despite the fact they rose from the ocean floor 5million years ago. The Grants have spent 40 years studying Darwin’s Finches. The finches have evolved many ways to survive. The finch’s beak size determines what food they can eat the best whether its insects, larvae, cactus flower nectar or seeds. The beaks are considered tools and each finch needs the right tool to feed themselves. The finch’s DNA determined that the finches are more related to each other than any other species on the mainland. That means that only one species arrived in the Galapagos and diversified into the 13 species. Over 80% of the medium ground finches died due to drought in 1977 and the survivors of the drought were the finch’s with larger beaks due to bigger seeds that could only be cracked open by them. Natural selection changed the average beak size in the offspring of that year. Then in 1983 the El Nino brought 10 times more rain than usual and the birds with larger beaks struggled to eat the small seeds. The survivors of the El Nino were the finch’s with small beaks, so their offspring inherited smaller beaks that year. The Grants proved that when birds encounter different environment’s they will change over a short amount of time. The species were split into two because two populations were split geographically and went through enough change in their habitats that when they did come into contact again, they did not mate. Finches sing different songs from each other. Males only respond to songs of their own species and females that had similar size beaks. It Is amazing how one species of finches first arrived to the islands and when there descendants reached another island they faced new conditions leading to adaptations for their new surroundings. They had become distinct species. The finches provide insight to why the world is populated with so many species. The more diverse the environment the more opportunities for evolutionary change to produce those new species.
The Origin of Birds Biologists are fascinated by the evolution of groups of animals. The greatest mystery to scientists is the origin of birds since there are more than 10,000 bird species. Paleontologists study the evolution of birds by their fossil record. Charles Darwin argued in the Origin of Species that every major group of animals evolved from a pre-existing one. The fossil Archaeopteryx was a major breakthrough for scientists. Pterosaurs had a different wind span than the Archaeopteryx they did not have feathers. Both the Archaeopteryx and the Pterosaurs evolved flight independently. Archaeopteryx is proposed to have been evolved from reptiles. Deinonychus was a reptile that was compared to the Archaeopteryx and it was determined they both have hollow bones, long arms, and similar hip and shoulder bones. Ostrom determined that birds did evolve from dinosaurs like the Deinonychus that were considered theropods. Theropods walked on two legs and had a wishbone. Dinosaurs nested in colonies, came back to the same site, and cared for their young similarly to birds today. Sinosauropteryx a chicken sized theropod did not have scales it was covered in feathers. Also, Caudipteryx had feathers but did not have wings. Feathers first evolved for insulation, communication for mating and territorial displays. Feathers are thought to play a different role at first and were then modified for flight this is known as co-option. The asteroid that hit the planet caused a global mass extinction. Only a small group of toothless birds survived, and they evolved into the birds we see today. The dinosaurs did not all go extinct, living birds today are a lineage of therapod dinosaurs.