Submarine Volcanic Morphology
The volcanic islands of the Galapagos Archipelago erupted over 10,000,000 years ago on the Nazca plate. The youngest are located at the western edge due to the eastward movement of the plate relative to the Galapagos hot spot. The submarine geology of the islands has remained relatively unexplored until recently. Glass and her colleagues conducted a study that used a Simrad Kongsberg 30 kHz EM300 sonar system to collect data and analyze it to map out the sea floor. There are five geometric provinces in the western Galapagos: submarine rift zones, large deep-water lava fields, shallow steep-sloped submarine flanks, mass-wasting and erosional deposits, and submarine terraces. Glass and her colleagues added small-scale volcanic structures to the list due to the fact that the EM300 system mapped volcanic cones of various morphologies. The Galapagos subaerial rift zones differ from the western Galapagos submarine rifts most likely because of greater unequal principle stresses in the submarine environment. The northwestern and southwestern submarine rift zones of Fernandina are aligned with diffuse subaerial rift zones that have high concentrations of radial vents however, there are no subaerial rift zones to the western Fernandina submarine rift zone. The western and southwestern rift zones of Ecuador Volcano extend into the submarine region from the northern and southern segments of its caldera. Western Galapagos rift zones range from 5 to 20 km in length which are significantly shorter than the 30-70 km submarine rift zones on the islands of Hawaii. Short rift zone length of Galapagos rifts are likely a product of lower magma supply rates as the islands are about 10% volcanically active in comparison to their Hawaiian Island counterpart. The northwestern submarine rift of Fernandina Island is the longest of the western Galpagos submarine rift zones. After investigation of subaerial geology, conclusions show that the Galapagos eruptions often occur along fissures lined with scorcia and cinder cones. Steep-sided, pointed cones are found on volcanic flanks and rift zones at water depths generally shallower than 1500 m. Flat-topped cones are prevalent on volcanic flanks and rift zones at water depths greater than 1500 m in regions with abundant pointed cones at shallower depths. Recently, it has been proposed that deep lava flow fields west and northwest of Fernandina and Ecuador Volcano represent initial phases of island-building volcanism that will eventually become terraces which form a plateau upon which the next island in the chain will grow. Through the study conducted by Glass and her colleagues (2007), they were able to use the EM300 bathymetric and MRI side-scan sonar data to enable the resolution of small-scale features that are key to properly interpreting the volcanic morphology and structure of the seafloor in the western Galapagos. Key geomorphologic constructs in the western Galapagos Archipelago are rift zones, volcanic cones, and deep-water flows. Volcanism occurs along active rift zones and on volcanic flanks not associated with volcanic rifts. The origin of some of the deep lava flows occur at vents located at the distal tip of rift zones which suggests, according to Glass and her colleagues, a link between the two important submarine volcanic constructional processes: deep craters in submarine volcanic cones and that the NW Fernandina rift zone is a site of recent volcanism (2007).
The volcanic islands of the Galapagos Archipelago erupted over 10,000,000 years ago on the Nazca plate. The youngest are located at the western edge due to the eastward movement of the plate relative to the Galapagos hot spot. The submarine geology of the islands has remained relatively unexplored until recently. Glass and her colleagues conducted a study that used a Simrad Kongsberg 30 kHz EM300 sonar system to collect data and analyze it to map out the sea floor. There are five geometric provinces in the western Galapagos: submarine rift zones, large deep-water lava fields, shallow steep-sloped submarine flanks, mass-wasting and erosional deposits, and submarine terraces. Glass and her colleagues added small-scale volcanic structures to the list due to the fact that the EM300 system mapped volcanic cones of various morphologies. The Galapagos subaerial rift zones differ from the western Galapagos submarine rifts most likely because of greater unequal principle stresses in the submarine environment. The northwestern and southwestern submarine rift zones of Fernandina are aligned with diffuse subaerial rift zones that have high concentrations of radial vents however, there are no subaerial rift zones to the western Fernandina submarine rift zone. The western and southwestern rift zones of Ecuador Volcano extend into the submarine region from the northern and southern segments of its caldera. Western Galapagos rift zones range from 5 to 20 km in length which are significantly shorter than the 30-70 km submarine rift zones on the islands of Hawaii. Short rift zone length of Galapagos rifts are likely a product of lower magma supply rates as the islands are about 10% volcanically active in comparison to their Hawaiian Island counterpart. The northwestern submarine rift of Fernandina Island is the longest of the western Galpagos submarine rift zones. After investigation of subaerial geology, conclusions show that the Galapagos eruptions often occur along fissures lined with scorcia and cinder cones. Steep-sided, pointed cones are found on volcanic flanks and rift zones at water depths generally shallower than 1500 m. Flat-topped cones are prevalent on volcanic flanks and rift zones at water depths greater than 1500 m in regions with abundant pointed cones at shallower depths. Recently, it has been proposed that deep lava flow fields west and northwest of Fernandina and Ecuador Volcano represent initial phases of island-building volcanism that will eventually become terraces which form a plateau upon which the next island in the chain will grow. Through the study conducted by Glass and her colleagues (2007), they were able to use the EM300 bathymetric and MRI side-scan sonar data to enable the resolution of small-scale features that are key to properly interpreting the volcanic morphology and structure of the seafloor in the western Galapagos. Key geomorphologic constructs in the western Galapagos Archipelago are rift zones, volcanic cones, and deep-water flows. Volcanism occurs along active rift zones and on volcanic flanks not associated with volcanic rifts. The origin of some of the deep lava flows occur at vents located at the distal tip of rift zones which suggests, according to Glass and her colleagues, a link between the two important submarine volcanic constructional processes: deep craters in submarine volcanic cones and that the NW Fernandina rift zone is a site of recent volcanism (2007).
Galapagos Population Growth, Tourism, and Sustainable Ecotourism
Early studies done on the Galapagos Islands concluded that there was an incalculable potential to develop nature-based tourism on the Galapagos. The tourism industry would help with conservation of the archipelago's diversity, evolutionary and biological processes, and the environment. No one at the time could have imagined that the islands would become one of the world's most popular ecotourism destinations and, in turn, would generate revenues and population growth in the Galapagos exceeding expectations. In the late 1960's, only a half dozen vessels and hotels catered to roughly 2,000 tourists per year. By 2006, at least 80 vessels and 65 hotels were capable of simultaneously accommodating nearly 3,500 guests per night. Despite the leaps in numbers, user fees paid by visitors and companies conducting tours have not increased since 1993. Tourism in the Galapagos generates some financial support for conservation and governmental institutions through donations and entrance fees. The average rate of population growth on the 300 km2 of land reserved for human settlement has been 6.4% per year which is three times greater than in the mainland of Ecuador. If temporary and illegal workers from the continent that also reside in the islands were included, the rate would approach 8% per year. On Santa Cruz, population growth is even greater as the island is the economic and tourism hub of the Galapagos. Tourism in the Galapagos has developed under a management plan that allows limited numbers of tourists at certain sites in the National Park which makes up 97% of the archipelago. According to Sitnik, the number of tourists has increased greatly since the mid 1960's: from 4,500 in 1970 to 26,000 in 1987 and to 41,000 in 1991 (1999). However, methods for handling tourists such as ship-based accommodations and controlled landings supervised by trained guides have been implemented to try and reduce the amount of tourists coming to the archipelago at any one time. Sustainable ecotourism requires a balance between conservation and development as the Galapagos proves. The maintenance requires informed natural resource management and visitor control requires sustained observation and monitoring of natural and human populations as well as their impacts. In order for all of this to work and run smoothly, local, national, and international interests must come together in an ecotourist venture. Sitnik concludes with this thought: "All must function with a clear vision of the importance of maintaining the beauty and integrity of the natural system that is the focal attraction" (1999). Overall, in order to have a sustainable tourism venture, the tourists and those creating the tours should keep that message in their minds.
Early studies done on the Galapagos Islands concluded that there was an incalculable potential to develop nature-based tourism on the Galapagos. The tourism industry would help with conservation of the archipelago's diversity, evolutionary and biological processes, and the environment. No one at the time could have imagined that the islands would become one of the world's most popular ecotourism destinations and, in turn, would generate revenues and population growth in the Galapagos exceeding expectations. In the late 1960's, only a half dozen vessels and hotels catered to roughly 2,000 tourists per year. By 2006, at least 80 vessels and 65 hotels were capable of simultaneously accommodating nearly 3,500 guests per night. Despite the leaps in numbers, user fees paid by visitors and companies conducting tours have not increased since 1993. Tourism in the Galapagos generates some financial support for conservation and governmental institutions through donations and entrance fees. The average rate of population growth on the 300 km2 of land reserved for human settlement has been 6.4% per year which is three times greater than in the mainland of Ecuador. If temporary and illegal workers from the continent that also reside in the islands were included, the rate would approach 8% per year. On Santa Cruz, population growth is even greater as the island is the economic and tourism hub of the Galapagos. Tourism in the Galapagos has developed under a management plan that allows limited numbers of tourists at certain sites in the National Park which makes up 97% of the archipelago. According to Sitnik, the number of tourists has increased greatly since the mid 1960's: from 4,500 in 1970 to 26,000 in 1987 and to 41,000 in 1991 (1999). However, methods for handling tourists such as ship-based accommodations and controlled landings supervised by trained guides have been implemented to try and reduce the amount of tourists coming to the archipelago at any one time. Sustainable ecotourism requires a balance between conservation and development as the Galapagos proves. The maintenance requires informed natural resource management and visitor control requires sustained observation and monitoring of natural and human populations as well as their impacts. In order for all of this to work and run smoothly, local, national, and international interests must come together in an ecotourist venture. Sitnik concludes with this thought: "All must function with a clear vision of the importance of maintaining the beauty and integrity of the natural system that is the focal attraction" (1999). Overall, in order to have a sustainable tourism venture, the tourists and those creating the tours should keep that message in their minds.
Evolution in the Galapagos
The giant tortoises are one of the many animals found on the islands that helped Darwin to study the evolution. In 1831, Darwin set off on a voyage that would change his life. A naturalist on The Beagle, he set off to the remote islands and conducted research that would eventually lead him to the discovery that living things are shaped by the world around them. Darwin noticed that each island was unique in flora: they were similar yet had slight differences that allowed them to flourish in the environment. Darwin noted that the archipelago is a little world on its own and that the plants and animals are unique to the islands even though they resemble plants and animals that are found on the mainland of South America. Ground finches are the most common but there are two different species: ones with larger beaks that are meant to crack open larger seeds and ones with smaller beaks that are meant to pick up smaller seeds. On his first voyage, Darwin ignored the small birds that hopped around his feet. Occasionally, he would collect dead finches to take back and study but he didn't record where and when he got them from. The one island that Darwin never landed on, Daphne Major, has become the most important island for studying the diversity of the finches. The island is small and therefore, a basic ecosystem that helps to really show the differences in evolution. During rainier years, the beaks of the majority of the birds are smaller to compensate for the grasses that grow while during the drought years, the beaks are larger to allow the finches to feed off of larger seeds. The size of the beak can change over a short period of time due to food supply changes and because of this, we know that evolution can happen during our lifetime rather than something that just shows up in the fossil record. Since the ancestors of the animals have arrived on the islands, they have helped to shape how the animals are today.
The giant tortoises are one of the many animals found on the islands that helped Darwin to study the evolution. In 1831, Darwin set off on a voyage that would change his life. A naturalist on The Beagle, he set off to the remote islands and conducted research that would eventually lead him to the discovery that living things are shaped by the world around them. Darwin noticed that each island was unique in flora: they were similar yet had slight differences that allowed them to flourish in the environment. Darwin noted that the archipelago is a little world on its own and that the plants and animals are unique to the islands even though they resemble plants and animals that are found on the mainland of South America. Ground finches are the most common but there are two different species: ones with larger beaks that are meant to crack open larger seeds and ones with smaller beaks that are meant to pick up smaller seeds. On his first voyage, Darwin ignored the small birds that hopped around his feet. Occasionally, he would collect dead finches to take back and study but he didn't record where and when he got them from. The one island that Darwin never landed on, Daphne Major, has become the most important island for studying the diversity of the finches. The island is small and therefore, a basic ecosystem that helps to really show the differences in evolution. During rainier years, the beaks of the majority of the birds are smaller to compensate for the grasses that grow while during the drought years, the beaks are larger to allow the finches to feed off of larger seeds. The size of the beak can change over a short period of time due to food supply changes and because of this, we know that evolution can happen during our lifetime rather than something that just shows up in the fossil record. Since the ancestors of the animals have arrived on the islands, they have helped to shape how the animals are today.
The Origin of Birds
Biologists have long sought to discover the origin of birds as their evolution has been the greatest mystery. Earth has more than 10,000 species of birds with feathered wings but the main questions that biologists ask are "Where did birds come from?" and "How did wings and feathers derive?" Scientists have investigated the fossil record and have uncovered twists in their evolution from their flightless ancestors. Birds are unique because of their wings: they are made from feathers that are stiff yet flexible and are able to flap which allows them to maneuver rapidly and defy gravity. The quest to discover the origin of birds began 150 years ago when Darwin wrote The Origin of Species and theorized that all existing animals derived from preexisting ones and predicted that fossils would help to make this connection. No fossils had been discovered to confirm this theory until two years later in a limestone quarry in Germany. Miners discovered a 150 million year old fossil of a feathered creature that was named Archaeopteryx. The fossil preserved fine details of the feathers along the wing and tail. The fossil also tells the differences between the ancestor and the evolved bird because there are teeth in the jaw, claws at the end of the wings, and it had a long bony tail. This fossil helped to verify that Darwin was correct and that Archaeopteryx linked birds and reptiles. Thomas Huxley compared Archaeopteryx with a turkey-sized dinosaur called Compsognathus. Like Archaropteryx, Compsognathus had three digits on its hands, stood on two legs, and had hallow bones and these comparisons led Huxley to believe that birds are related to dinosaurs. Other scientists questioned this conclusion because they believed that all dinosaurs were cold-blooded, large, and slow moving like sauropods. In 1963, John Ostrom discovered a fossil in the Badlands of Montana that challenged that view: a claw that belonged to a foot. The claw belonged to Deinonychus and was used on its foot for slashing prey rather than for walking. Deinonychus was small, had a delicate build, walked on two legs, and had a long, stiff tail for balance which helped to prove that not all dinosaurs were large and slow-moving. Ostrom then compared Deinonychus to Archaeopteryx and discovered that they both have lightly built hallow bones, long arms and similar hip and shoulder bones. Ostrom then concluded that birds did descend from dinosaurs but from a lineage called theropods which walked on two legs and included predators such as T-Rex. Some scientists denied this discovery until further evidence was found including the fact that theropods have wish bones. Upon comparison of a T-Rex foot and a chicken foot, it was found that they both have three forward facing digits and a fourth in the back and that the shape of their spines are the similar S-shape. Jack Horner discovered that dinosaurs lay eggs in a nesting colony and that they returned to the same nesting areas similar to birds today. In the late 1990's, Chinese farmers were unearthing many fossils and these fossils showed well preserved theropods. One in particular, Sinosauropteryx, was covered in a primitive feathers which differed from previous thinking that all dinosaurs were covered in scales. These finds solidified the thinking that birds descended from theropods but raised a question as to what the purpose was of these feathers since they covered the body rather than wings. Scientists believe that the feathers were used for insulation rather than flight and for communication and courtship. Feathers could have been used for these purposes and then modified over time for flight. There is no one form of ancestral bird that directly links Archaeopteryx to modern birds because there were some forms of birds that had a short tail bone but a beak with teeth or a beak with no teeth but hands with claws.
Biologists have long sought to discover the origin of birds as their evolution has been the greatest mystery. Earth has more than 10,000 species of birds with feathered wings but the main questions that biologists ask are "Where did birds come from?" and "How did wings and feathers derive?" Scientists have investigated the fossil record and have uncovered twists in their evolution from their flightless ancestors. Birds are unique because of their wings: they are made from feathers that are stiff yet flexible and are able to flap which allows them to maneuver rapidly and defy gravity. The quest to discover the origin of birds began 150 years ago when Darwin wrote The Origin of Species and theorized that all existing animals derived from preexisting ones and predicted that fossils would help to make this connection. No fossils had been discovered to confirm this theory until two years later in a limestone quarry in Germany. Miners discovered a 150 million year old fossil of a feathered creature that was named Archaeopteryx. The fossil preserved fine details of the feathers along the wing and tail. The fossil also tells the differences between the ancestor and the evolved bird because there are teeth in the jaw, claws at the end of the wings, and it had a long bony tail. This fossil helped to verify that Darwin was correct and that Archaeopteryx linked birds and reptiles. Thomas Huxley compared Archaeopteryx with a turkey-sized dinosaur called Compsognathus. Like Archaropteryx, Compsognathus had three digits on its hands, stood on two legs, and had hallow bones and these comparisons led Huxley to believe that birds are related to dinosaurs. Other scientists questioned this conclusion because they believed that all dinosaurs were cold-blooded, large, and slow moving like sauropods. In 1963, John Ostrom discovered a fossil in the Badlands of Montana that challenged that view: a claw that belonged to a foot. The claw belonged to Deinonychus and was used on its foot for slashing prey rather than for walking. Deinonychus was small, had a delicate build, walked on two legs, and had a long, stiff tail for balance which helped to prove that not all dinosaurs were large and slow-moving. Ostrom then compared Deinonychus to Archaeopteryx and discovered that they both have lightly built hallow bones, long arms and similar hip and shoulder bones. Ostrom then concluded that birds did descend from dinosaurs but from a lineage called theropods which walked on two legs and included predators such as T-Rex. Some scientists denied this discovery until further evidence was found including the fact that theropods have wish bones. Upon comparison of a T-Rex foot and a chicken foot, it was found that they both have three forward facing digits and a fourth in the back and that the shape of their spines are the similar S-shape. Jack Horner discovered that dinosaurs lay eggs in a nesting colony and that they returned to the same nesting areas similar to birds today. In the late 1990's, Chinese farmers were unearthing many fossils and these fossils showed well preserved theropods. One in particular, Sinosauropteryx, was covered in a primitive feathers which differed from previous thinking that all dinosaurs were covered in scales. These finds solidified the thinking that birds descended from theropods but raised a question as to what the purpose was of these feathers since they covered the body rather than wings. Scientists believe that the feathers were used for insulation rather than flight and for communication and courtship. Feathers could have been used for these purposes and then modified over time for flight. There is no one form of ancestral bird that directly links Archaeopteryx to modern birds because there were some forms of birds that had a short tail bone but a beak with teeth or a beak with no teeth but hands with claws.
The Evolution of Galapagos Finches
There are thousands of species of similar beetles, butterflies, mammals, and birds but scientist want to know why this occurs. Researchers focus on remote areas such as the Galapagos Islands to answer this question. Rosemary and Peter Grant have focused their research on one of the smaller islands called Daphne Major for forty years and focus on the finches. The finches were brought to scientists' attention by Darwin when his voyage around South America brought him to a cluster of islands 600 miles from mainland Ecuador. These volcanic islands are geologically young as they rose from the sea floor less than 5 million years ago. They were once devoid of life but are now host to a plethora of life including 13 species of finches. The birds live in diverse habitats as each island differs in size, topography, and height according to Rosemary Grant. Higher elevation islands grow trees while lower elevation islands mainly grow shrubs and cacti. In these habitats, the finches have adapted to their environment mainly by evolving their beaks to get food. For example, one finch has a smaller, more needle-like beak for picking up small bugs while another finch has a larger, more sturdy beak used for picking out beetle larvae from trees. Their beaks are their tools to get food or open it and it is their most important tool. The finches could have evolved two ways: coming separately from the mainland or coming to one island at the same time and then branching out to others. Through extensive research, it was discovered that the Galapagos finches are more related to each other than any one is related to mainland birds which helped to further prove that one main species came to the islands and then diversified. The question then would become how did one main species become so diverse over the years? The Grants' research helped to answer this question because over the years, they were tagging and recording data on size, mates, and offspring. In the late 1970's, there was a drought and the Grants' noticed that the smaller ground finches that would normally eat smaller seeds, were the ones to struggle the most to survive and nearly 80% had died off by the end of the drought. Their offspring however, had adapted to a larger beak depth as natural selection changed the average beak size. In 1983, a large El Nino occurred and brought more vine like vegetation to the island. Years later when another drought struck, the larger seeds were the ones to be scarce. The larger beak finches had a harder time picking up the smaller seeds produced by the vines allowing more smaller beaked finches to survive and their offspring, in turn, had smaller beaks. Over millions of years, evolution has caused the changes in beak size and shape across the islands and has helped to create the different species of finches. The varying species are created due to geographic boundaries that block one species from another and over time they became different species that, if they were to ever meet, they wouldn't mate. Song and appearance also play a role in who the finches mate with: the males will only mate with females who look similar to them and sound similar.
There are thousands of species of similar beetles, butterflies, mammals, and birds but scientist want to know why this occurs. Researchers focus on remote areas such as the Galapagos Islands to answer this question. Rosemary and Peter Grant have focused their research on one of the smaller islands called Daphne Major for forty years and focus on the finches. The finches were brought to scientists' attention by Darwin when his voyage around South America brought him to a cluster of islands 600 miles from mainland Ecuador. These volcanic islands are geologically young as they rose from the sea floor less than 5 million years ago. They were once devoid of life but are now host to a plethora of life including 13 species of finches. The birds live in diverse habitats as each island differs in size, topography, and height according to Rosemary Grant. Higher elevation islands grow trees while lower elevation islands mainly grow shrubs and cacti. In these habitats, the finches have adapted to their environment mainly by evolving their beaks to get food. For example, one finch has a smaller, more needle-like beak for picking up small bugs while another finch has a larger, more sturdy beak used for picking out beetle larvae from trees. Their beaks are their tools to get food or open it and it is their most important tool. The finches could have evolved two ways: coming separately from the mainland or coming to one island at the same time and then branching out to others. Through extensive research, it was discovered that the Galapagos finches are more related to each other than any one is related to mainland birds which helped to further prove that one main species came to the islands and then diversified. The question then would become how did one main species become so diverse over the years? The Grants' research helped to answer this question because over the years, they were tagging and recording data on size, mates, and offspring. In the late 1970's, there was a drought and the Grants' noticed that the smaller ground finches that would normally eat smaller seeds, were the ones to struggle the most to survive and nearly 80% had died off by the end of the drought. Their offspring however, had adapted to a larger beak depth as natural selection changed the average beak size. In 1983, a large El Nino occurred and brought more vine like vegetation to the island. Years later when another drought struck, the larger seeds were the ones to be scarce. The larger beak finches had a harder time picking up the smaller seeds produced by the vines allowing more smaller beaked finches to survive and their offspring, in turn, had smaller beaks. Over millions of years, evolution has caused the changes in beak size and shape across the islands and has helped to create the different species of finches. The varying species are created due to geographic boundaries that block one species from another and over time they became different species that, if they were to ever meet, they wouldn't mate. Song and appearance also play a role in who the finches mate with: the males will only mate with females who look similar to them and sound similar.
Wildlife of the Galapagos Islands and Conserving the last Eden
The Galapagos is a unique collection of islands located 1000 km off the west coast of South America as they are diverse in wildlife and plants. Many ecosystems around the world are being devastated due to human activity but the Galapagos' inhospitable surroundings have kept the islands safe from human harm allowing the wildlife to flourish. According to Dr. Ellen Prager, the islands are not about just one animal since they're so diverse and that "you could be swimming around corals and tropical fish and a penguin swims by" (2013) which generally contradicts the normal school science class teaching of "warmer water has tropical fish and corals while colder waters have penguins." Although there are commonalities among the diverse species, the main animals that are compared are the giant tortoises and the sea turtles. Sea turtles have a shorter neck, fins, and only come to the land to nest. Giant tortoises on the other hand, have longer necks (to reach vegetation), round stump feet, and live on the land. Iguanas, land and marine, descended from one common ancestor that made its way to the islands on vegetative rafts as they were not swimming reptiles. The iguanas then had to adapt to coastal living or move inland creating two species that forage for food differently in order to survive. The only equatorial penguin is found on the Galapagos Islands and are the second smallest penguin on the planet. The Galapagos are considered one of the last Edens in the world. The large diversity among the 13 islands bring awareness that these ecosystems should be protected in order to preserve the endemic species.
The Galapagos is a unique collection of islands located 1000 km off the west coast of South America as they are diverse in wildlife and plants. Many ecosystems around the world are being devastated due to human activity but the Galapagos' inhospitable surroundings have kept the islands safe from human harm allowing the wildlife to flourish. According to Dr. Ellen Prager, the islands are not about just one animal since they're so diverse and that "you could be swimming around corals and tropical fish and a penguin swims by" (2013) which generally contradicts the normal school science class teaching of "warmer water has tropical fish and corals while colder waters have penguins." Although there are commonalities among the diverse species, the main animals that are compared are the giant tortoises and the sea turtles. Sea turtles have a shorter neck, fins, and only come to the land to nest. Giant tortoises on the other hand, have longer necks (to reach vegetation), round stump feet, and live on the land. Iguanas, land and marine, descended from one common ancestor that made its way to the islands on vegetative rafts as they were not swimming reptiles. The iguanas then had to adapt to coastal living or move inland creating two species that forage for food differently in order to survive. The only equatorial penguin is found on the Galapagos Islands and are the second smallest penguin on the planet. The Galapagos are considered one of the last Edens in the world. The large diversity among the 13 islands bring awareness that these ecosystems should be protected in order to preserve the endemic species.
References
Aceserve (2011). Evolution in the Galapagos [Video]. Available from: www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3265bno2X0&feature=youtu.be
Alava, J.J. (2016). Conserving the Last Eden: Research Experiences in the Galapagos Islands [Video]. Available from: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q_UHud8OCU
Epler, B. (2007). Tourism, the Economy, Population Growth, and Conservation in Galapagos.
Glass, J.B., Fornari, D.J., Hall, H.F., Cougan, A.A., and Berkenbosch, H.A. (2007). Submarine Volcanic Morphology of the Western Galapagos Based on EM300 Bathymetry and MRI Side-Scan Sonar. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 8(3), 1-16. doi: 10.1029/2006GC001464
HHMI BioInteractive (2014). Galapagos Finch Evolution- HHMI BioInteractive Video [Video]. Available from: www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcM23M-CCog&feature=youtu.be
HHMI BioInteractive (2015). The Origin of Birds- HHMI BioInteractive Video [Video]. Available from: www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4nuWLd2ivc&feature=youtu.be
Kousinioris, C. (2013). The Galapagos Islands [Video]. Available from: www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKzwsQTa8-0&list=PLyOVSbari5z8dF-o3H7aY8PJpPwLesLOT&index=2
Sitnik, M. (1999). Sustainable Ecotourism: The Galapagos Balance. Yale F&ES Bulletin, 99, 89-94.
Aceserve (2011). Evolution in the Galapagos [Video]. Available from: www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3265bno2X0&feature=youtu.be
Alava, J.J. (2016). Conserving the Last Eden: Research Experiences in the Galapagos Islands [Video]. Available from: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q_UHud8OCU
Epler, B. (2007). Tourism, the Economy, Population Growth, and Conservation in Galapagos.
Glass, J.B., Fornari, D.J., Hall, H.F., Cougan, A.A., and Berkenbosch, H.A. (2007). Submarine Volcanic Morphology of the Western Galapagos Based on EM300 Bathymetry and MRI Side-Scan Sonar. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 8(3), 1-16. doi: 10.1029/2006GC001464
HHMI BioInteractive (2014). Galapagos Finch Evolution- HHMI BioInteractive Video [Video]. Available from: www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcM23M-CCog&feature=youtu.be
HHMI BioInteractive (2015). The Origin of Birds- HHMI BioInteractive Video [Video]. Available from: www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4nuWLd2ivc&feature=youtu.be
Kousinioris, C. (2013). The Galapagos Islands [Video]. Available from: www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKzwsQTa8-0&list=PLyOVSbari5z8dF-o3H7aY8PJpPwLesLOT&index=2
Sitnik, M. (1999). Sustainable Ecotourism: The Galapagos Balance. Yale F&ES Bulletin, 99, 89-94.