The Galapagos Islands
Biodiversity Hotspots
Biodiversity Hotspots
The Ecology of The Galapagos Islands
The Islands
Around 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.
Animals
Galapagos Finches: popularly called Darwin's finches.
Galapagos Penguins: the only living tropical penguin
Among them is the sharp-beaked ground finch which is
The Humboldt Current is the one that brought them all
sometimes called the "vampire finch" for its blood-sucking
the way up to these tropical latitudes.
habits, and the tool-using woodpecker finch.
Red-billed Tropic Bird
Galapagos Snake
Waved Albatross: the only living tropical albatross
Galapagos Land Iguana
Blue Footed Boobies: popular among visitors for their
Galapagos Marine Iguana: the only iguana feeding in the
large blue feet which they show off in courtship
sea
Galapagos Pelican
Galapagos Giant Tortoises: known as galápago in Spanish,
Nazca boobies
it gave the name to the islands
Lava Gull Bird
Sea Lions and Fur Sea Lions: closely related to the
Galapagos Hawk: the islands' main scavenger and
California sea lion, but smaller
"environmental police"
Galapagos Shark
Hammerhead Sharks
Galapagos Dolphins
Galapagos Crabs
However, there have been over 200 species brought to the island which did not naturally belong
there.
Animals
The 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.
Climate
The 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.
Climate
December 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 Ecology
El 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 Species
But 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 Islands
The 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
Migration
The 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.
Tourism
As 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-Fishing
Over-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 Species
As 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 takes place on the Isabela island, the biggest Island in the Archipelago, and aims to
control the goat problem on the Island.
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.
Turtles
After 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
No annual breeding
season; may produce
up to three clutches of
Stand with Flippers Extended eggs a year
Small size; larger surface
area to size ratio Chicks develop plumage
only 30 days after
hatching
Bare skin on feet and
face
Galapagos Fur Seal
Have learnt to cool their Small Body Size
bodies in tide pools;
thermoregulation.
Ability to Sweat
Very agile in water, but
have to be taught to swim Hide in caves during the day
by mothers.
