CONTEXT:

CIENCIAS NATURALES BLOQUES 1 & 2

Natural environments are easily disturbed and sometimes destroyed by outside influences, almost always
associated with the activities of humans.
THE GALPAGOS ISLANDS & THEIR ENDEMIC SPECIES
Land Environment
While the land environment of Galapagos appears harsh, characterised by parched, rocky desert-like terrain,
the islands support several species of land animals and birds. About a quarter of all plant species and
nearly all of the reptiles found here are endemic, species that are found nowhere else and have adapted to
the harsh environment of the Galapagos Islands.
This environment has, however, limited species diversity while creating a delicate balance between species.
Some are completely dependent on others, both plant and animal. While there is some speculation that at one
time (millions of years ago) a land bridge from Costa Rica to the Galapagos may have existed, the islands
probably were never connected to the mainland. Thus the species that exist here could only arrive through
flight or by floating to the islands on large, floating areas of vegetation washed down by South American
rivers. Seeds and insects were perhaps brought from the continent by high winds; birds also could have
carried seeds with them to the islands. It would have been much harder for large mammals to arrive this way,
which explains the lack of endemic mammals.
The Galapagos Islands have four primary ecosystems, formed by climate patterns and differences in
elevation:
1. The lowlands, generally arid areas with forests of cactus, comprise the first ecosystem.
2. Moving upwards in elevation, the next system is subtropical forests
3. The third is more humid, dense forests.
4. The fourth consists of primarily ferns and grasses at the highest elevations.
Only the largest islands, such as Isabella, contain all four systems.
Marine Environment
The Galapagos Islands are situated at the confluence of several ocean currents, which not only helps account
for the mild climate in the islands, but also its remarkable diversity of beautiful marine life. The cold, salty
Humboldt Current runs northward along the South American coast from the Antarctic, turning westward near
the equator bringing cool waters to the islands. The warm, less saline Panama current, runs southward along
the coast of Central America turning westward near the equator. The cool Southern Equatorial Current runs
westward, continuing with the energy of the Humboldt. Deep below the ocean surface, the Equatorial
Countercurrent (also known as the Cromwell) runs from the west towards the islands, and is diverted
upwards by the western islands, bringing cool, nutrient rich waters from the deep ocean to the island region.
The variation in the underwater landscape, including underwater volcanoes rising nearly to the surface, adds
to the diversity found here. Over 2900 marine species have been identified in the area, and about 18% of
these are found nowhere else.