Galapagos Since Charles Darwin Published

Galapagos

Since Charles Darwin published the Origin of the Species in 1859, the Galapagos Islands have been renown for their ecological diversity. The islands are also remarkable for their geographic terrain and volcanic activity. Officially part of Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands are still many hundreds of miles off the shore of South America. Their being located on the equator in the Pacific Ocean has created one of the most fascinating ecosystems on the planet.

Several species have evolved on the Galapagos Island differently than they have elsewhere, because the Galapagos Islands were formed from volcanic eruptions in the ocean. Unlike many other island systems, they were not once part of a larger land mass. Species living on the Galapagos Islands migrated there after having already evolved on the mainland. Their interactions with their environment and the lack of mainland predators like human beings created a remarkable species differentiation.

Their relative isolation from other ecosystems is what makes the Galapagos Islands particularly fruitful for scientific research. Charles Darwin was able to formulate his theories about biological evolution by studying the different ways the same types of animals evolved on Galapagos vs. The mainland. As a result of thousands of years of isolation from the mainland, the species that dwell on the Galapagos Islands are unique and offer clues to how plants and animals evolve.

Unfortunately, colonization has rattled the Galapagos ecosystem, threatening to destroy some of its sensitive and endangered species and to transform the ecological balance. Human beings have purposely and inadvertently introduced foreign species to the Galapagos Islands. Those alien species can rapidly and dramatically wipe out whole other species and radically change the indigenous ecosystem. In addition to the threats from introduced species of plants and animals, the Galapagos Islands suffer from the human footprint. Hunters, fishers, and whalers have systematically destroyed the Galapagos especially during the 18th and 19th centuries ("Galapagos Islands Species"). Since then, awareness of the importance of the Galapagos Islands has spread, and efforts to protect the sensitive and valuable ecosystem are helping preserve the integrity of the archipelago. Protecting the Galapagos is a multidisciplinary effort, and is aided by environmental organizations as well as universities and the ecotourism industry. The Galapagos Islands are expensive to reach, and those who visit tend to be environmentally aware.

The first animal inhabitants of the Galapagos Islands were likely birds, bats, insects, and plants (Galapagos Conservation Trust 2008). Reptilian residents arrived later, and most of the Galapagos Islands teem with reptiles. According to the Galapagos Conservation Trust (2008), twenty-three different species of reptiles inhabit the Galapagos Islands including iguanas, lizards, geckos, snakes, and tortoises. The Galapagos Giant Tortoise is one of the most notable species dwelling on the archipelago, and also one of the most in danger of extinction. The Galapagos Giant Tortoises live up to 150 years. However, they had been hunted until the early 20th century and their numbers have dwindled. In fact, one lineage of tortoise has only one surviving member. That tortoise has been nicknamed Lonesome George (Galapagos Conservation Trust 2008).

Half of all the Galapagos bird species only dwell on the islands and do not breed elsewhere ("Galapagos Islands Species"). About fifty-eight bird species inhabit the archipelago, including many wading and water birds like pelicans, boobies, cormorants, flamingoes, and a special breed of penguins. The Galapagos penguins live farther north than any other penguin ("Galapagos Islands Species"). The Galapagos is also home to a special type of albatross, the waved albatross named after the shape of its orange beak. Like its penguin neighbors, the waved albatross is the only of its type to dwell in the equatorial zone.

The only land-dwelling mammalian species on the Galapagos Islands are seals, sea lions, rats, and bats. Lack of contact with human beings makes many of the Galapagos sea lions unafraid and approachable ("Galapagos Island Species"). Male sea lions can be aggressive. The Galapagos fur seal is a much smaller and more timid species of marine mammal. The Galapagos does boast many species of sea-dwelling mammals, too, including seven types of whales (inback, humpback, sei, killer, pilot, minke and sperm) as well as bottlenose dolphins ("Galapagos Island Species"). Rats and bats are the only other mammal species on the Galapagos, because most mammals are unable to swim, fly, or float as far from the mainland as the reptiles and birds were able to. The Galapagos rats were able to survive by floating on large pieces of vegetation or debris to reach the islands. In fact, the rats "hold the world record for ocean crossings by land mammals," (Galapagos Conservation Trust 2008).

About 1600 species of insects inhabit the Galapagos including large ones like locusts, butterflies and moths. The Galapagos also has unique species of land snails. Hundreds of fish species live in the warm waters surrounding the Galapagos. The plant diversity on the Galapagos has changed dramatically since the introduction of fruit-bearing trees especially in highland areas. However, indigenous species of orchid and cacti still grace the Galapagos landscape.

The Galapagos Islands have a varied terrain and ecosystem. Elevation levels and locations of the islands determine the local flora and fauna. Some parts of the Galapagos are dry and rocky, whereas others are more heavily forested. The Galapagos does not look like a typical lush tropical island and has a unique climactic system.

Human beings are the biggest threat to the Galapagos. Early settlers and pirates pillaged the islands. Colonialists altered the landscape and ecosystem by farming practices, and over-fishing is also a problem in the Galapagos. Land development and a local residential and tourist infrastructure development within the past century continue to adversely affect the Galapagos. Related problems like pollution threaten the Galapagos, and the effects of global warming on the ecosystem are unknown. The recent shift toward ecotourism offers some hope that human beings can leave as delicate a footprint as possible while still being able to enjoy the fantastic plant, animal and marine life that can be found nowhere else on the planet.

To preserve the remarkable species diversity and limit the ill effects of human contact, the Ecuadorian government must cooperate with international environmental agencies and universities when drafting tourism-related policies and regulating industries like agriculture and real estate. Ecuador, which protects the Galapagos politically, cannot fall pray to greed as a short-term gain. Any immediate financial gains from unbridled growth and tourism will mar the islands and its animals so rapidly as to eliminate any long-term benefits. The Galapagos Islands are especially sensitive because its local flora and fauna had evolved for millennia without getting used to predators. A sudden influx of human activity and foreign plant and animals has surprised the indigenous populations, which had not evolved the defense systems that their counterparts on the mainland might have.