Galápagos Islands

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter V. N. Henderson
Keyword(s):  
Endemic Species ◽  
Native Species ◽  
National Park ◽  
Galapagos Islands ◽  
Galápagos Islands ◽  
Fresh Meat ◽  
Fragile Environment ◽  
The Government ◽  
Feral Animals ◽  
Unique Species

The Galápagos Islands, long acknowledged as Darwin’s “Living Laboratory,” are one of the world’s most important ecological treasures. From their discovery in 1535 until the creation of the Galápagos National Park in 1959, human hands touched lightly on their shores. Seemingly incapable of sustaining colonization because of poor soil, a scarcity of water, and no mineral wealth, the absence of humans allowed the native species of the Galápagos to remain undisturbed until whalers in the 1790s found that the lumbering Galápagos tortoises could be stored for months in their ship’s holds as a source of fresh meat. In 1832 Ecuador took possession of the archipelago but its colonization efforts generally failed. Although human settlement remained minimal, mammals that people brought (goats, donkeys, pigs, dogs, and cats) flourished and diminished the numbers of the endemic species. When the Galápagos National Park opened, only about 2,000 people lived on the islands along with the remaining endemic species and hundreds of thousands of feral animals. Meanwhile, naturalist Charles Darwin’s remarkable 1859 study, On the Origins of Species had stimulated biologists’ interest in the islands’ wildlife by presenting overwhelming proof of evolution. Other biologists questioned his idea of natural selection as the mechanism behind evolution; consequently they gathered evidence from collected specimens and observations in the archipelago, and finally resolved the debate in Darwin’s favor. After 1990, popular interest in the islands’ wildlife heightened as a result of photography, travelers’ accounts, and films, so tourism increased as did the number of Ecuadorian immigrants eager to earn money in the tourist industry. By 2020, Ecuadorian authorities faced the dilemma of balancing the need to preserve the unique species and their fragile environment against the revenue generated by visitors, a battle environmentalists fear the government is losing.

scholarly journals Reconstructing the history and biological consequences of a plant invasion on the Galápagos islands

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J.S. Gibson ◽  
María de Lourdes Torres ◽  
Yaniv Brandvain ◽  
Leonie C. Moyle
Keyword(s):  
Endemic Species ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Galapagos Islands ◽  
Fruit Color ◽  
Galápagos Islands ◽  
Natural Experiments ◽  
Wild Tomato ◽  
Population Genomic ◽  
History Of

AbstractThe introduction of non-native species into new habitats is one of the foremost risks to global biodiversity. Here, we evaluate a recent invasion of wild tomato (Solanum pimpinellifolium) onto the Galápagos islands from a population genomic perspective, using a large panel of novel collections from the archipelago as well as historical accessions from mainland Ecuador and Peru. We infer a recent invasion of S. pimpinellifolium on the islands, largely the result of a single event from central Ecuador which, despite its recency, has rapidly spread onto several islands in the Galápagos. By reconstructing patterns of local ancestry throughout the genomes of invasive plants, we uncover evidence for recent hybridization and introgression between S. pimpinellifolium and the closely related endemic species Solanum cheesmaniae. Two large introgressed regions overlap with known fruit color loci involved in carotenoid biosynthesis. Instead of red fruits, admixed individuals with endemic haplotypes at these loci have orange fruit colors that are typically characteristic of the endemic species. We therefore infer that introgression explains the observed trait convergence. Moreover, we infer roles for two independent loci in driving this pattern, and a likely history of selection favoring the repeated phenotypic transition from red to orange fruits. Together, our data reconstruct a complex history of invasion, expansion, and gene flow among wild tomatoes on the Galápagos islands. These findings provide critical data on the evolutionary importance of hybridization during colonization and its role in influencing conservation outcomes.Significance StatementThe isolation and unique diversity of the Galápagos Islands provide numerous natural experiments that have enriched our understanding of evolutionary biology. Here we use population genomic sequencing to reconstruct the timing, path, and consequences of a biological invasion by wild tomato onto the Galápagos. We infer that invasive populations originated from a recent human-mediated migration event from central Ecuador. Our data also indicate that invasive populations are hybridizing with endemic populations, and that this has led to some invasive individuals adopting both fruit color genes and the fruit color characteristic of the endemic island species. Our results demonstrate how hybridization can shape patterns of trait evolution over very short time scales, and characterize genetic factors underlying invasive success.

scholarly journals Human-caused and natural mortality of giant tortoises in the Galapagos Islands during 1995-2004

Oryx ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 337-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cruz Márquez ◽  
David A. Wiedenfeld ◽  
Sandra Landázuri ◽  
Juan Chávez
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Charles Darwin ◽  
Galapagos Islands ◽  
Research Station ◽  
Natural Mortality ◽  
Galápagos Islands ◽  
Santa Cruz Island ◽  
Santa Cruz ◽  
Park Service

AbstractAlthough the killing of giant tortoises in the Galapagos Islands has been prohibited since 1933, poaching of tortoises still occurs. Personnel of the Galapagos National Park Service and the Charles Darwin Research Station regularly survey populations of tortoises throughout the archipelago and report all dead tortoises found. For the 10-year period 1995–2004 the field personnel reported evidence of 190 giant tortoises killed, primarily on the southern portion of Isabela Island. For the first 6 years the number of tortoises found killed was <15 per year, but since 2001 the number killed has increased dramatically, with 49 tortoises poached in 2004. During the same 10 years the number of tortoises found dead from natural causes was 131. Many of these deaths can be attributed to events associated with the 1997–1998 El Niño or with outbreaks of disease on Santa Cruz Island in 1996 and 1999. The results indicate that poaching exceeds natural mortality, and is a significant factor affecting these long-lived and slow-reproducing animals. Environmental education efforts in the human population of southern Isabela appear to have had little effect. Because tortoise poaching takes place at a small number of sites, effective enforcement at those sites could reduce killing of tortoises.

scholarly journals Modeling the strategies to eradicate rats introduced in the Galapagos Islands

Bionatura ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 1427-1433
Author(s):  
Camila Velastegui ◽  
Mary Pulgar-Sánchez ◽  
Kevin Chamorro
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Theoretical Study ◽  
Current Method ◽  
Galapagos Islands ◽  
Galápagos Islands ◽  
Natural Evolution ◽  
Collateral Consequences ◽  
Suitable Alternative ◽  
Coexisting Species

The Galapagos Islands are well known for their incredible biodiversity and the inspiration for Charles Darwin's natural evolution theory. It is an ecosystem that has evolved without predators, so their native species are unfit for competition. As a result, this biodiversity has been threatened by invasive species like rats (Black and Norwegian). Nowadays, the primary strategy to control rats is by having drones that disperse a unique poisoned bait. Our study aims to mathematically model the strategies to eradicate rats in islands, based on previously reported processes. As a result, we are obtaining the approximated time to reduce its population as much as being eradicated, without threatening the coexisting species. We also propose a suitable alternative to be applied in the Galapagos Islands to recover their biodiversity richness. We find that rats' introduction has caused a decrease in the native species due to having specific traits that make them fitter in different situations. The best method to control species in such a sensitive environment is by the use of anticoagulant rodenticides. The current method used for eradicating rats seems to be the most profitable even though there is not enough information to see the collateral consequences of the poison technique. Furthermore, we propose this theoretical study complemented with in situ samplings to corroborate our hypothesis and improve our prediction model.

scholarly journals Non-native small terrestrial vertebrates in the Galapagos

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego F Cisneros-Heredia
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Galapagos Islands ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Tree Frog ◽  
Galápagos Islands ◽  
Species Introduction ◽  
Terrestrial Vertebrates ◽  
History Of

Humans have translocated thousands of species of flora, fauna and microorganisms to places they would never have reached on their own. Non-native species may have effects on biological communities, ecosystem functions and human populations. In island environments, the effects of spreading non-native species on native biodiversity can be severe and lead to native ecosystem transformation and even endemic species extinction. The Galapagos Islands are a region of particular interest and relevance to the issue of species introduction and invasiveness. In this paper, I analyse the current status of 25 non-native amphibians, reptiles and birds that have been reported in the Galapagos Islands. Six species have established self-sufficiently in Galapagos and may become invasive: Fowler’s snouted tree frog Scinax quinquefasciatus, common house gecko Hemidactylus frenatus, mourning gecko Lepidodactylus lugubris, dwarf gecko Gonatodes caudiscutatus, Peters’ leaf-toed gecko Phyllodactylus reissii, and smooth-billed ani Crotophaga ani. Domestic fowl Gallus gallus holds feral populations, which may have self-sufficient populations, but evidence is unclear. I provide information on the distribution and natural history of non-native species of amphibians, reptiles and birds in Galapagos, including new data about the introduction history of S. quinquefasciatus; evidence on the establishment of H. frenatus on Isabela and San Cristobal islands; the first published record of a non-native snake in Galapagos, Lampropeltis micropholis; the first evidence of predation on squamate reptiles by G. gallus in Galapagos; and evidence of a probable major impact by C. ani due to extensive predation on the endemic Galapagos carpenter bee Xylocopa darwini. I comment on the invasiveness and impact potential of non-native species in Galapagos, identify vulnerable islands for the arrival of non-native species, identify potential hitchhiker that could arrive in the future and propose that it is important to rethink about how we understand, manage and prevent introductions of non-native species. The new wave of introduced species in Galapagos is formed by small hitchhikers, species that are easily overlooked, may travel in high numbers and are highly linked to human-made environments.

scholarly journals Bird protection in Western Samoa

Oryx ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. D. Merlin ◽  
J. O. Juvik
Keyword(s):  
Endemic Species ◽  
National Park ◽  
Conservation Education ◽  
Habitat Modification ◽  
Western Samoa ◽  
The Government ◽  
Hunting Regulations ◽  
Near Extinction ◽  
National Park System ◽  
The Impact

In a study supported by the FFPS Oryx 100% Fund, the authors investigated the impact of traditional hunting practices on native land birds in Samoa. Hunting and habitat modification have contributed to the near extinction of several endemic species. Through new hunting regulations, conservation education programmes and the development of a national park system, the Government of Western Samoa has moved to strengthen its commitment to the conservation of a unique insular biota.

scholarly journals Tangles of Care: Killing Goats to Save Tortoises on the Galápagos Islands

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 424-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Bocci
Keyword(s):  
Endemic Species ◽  
Galapagos Islands ◽  
Environmental Crisis ◽  
Galápagos Islands ◽  
Conservation Measures ◽  
Political Implications ◽  
The World ◽  
Eradication Campaign ◽  
Global And Local

If calls to care for other species multiply in a time of global and local environmental crisis, this article demonstrates that caring practices are not always as benevolent or irenic as imagined. To save endemic tortoises from the menace of extinction, Proyecto Isabela killed more than two hundred thousand goats on the Galápagos Islands in the largest mammal eradication campaign in the world. While anthropologists have looked at human engagements with unwanted species as habitual and even pleasurable, I discuss an exceptional intervention that was ethically inflected toward saving an endemic species, yet also controversial and distressing. Exploring eradication’s biological, ecological, and political implications and discussing opposing practices of care for goats among residents, I move past the recognition that humans live in a multispecies world and point to the contentious nature of living with nonhuman others. I go on to argue that realizing competing forms of care may help conservation measures—and, indeed, life in the Anthropocene—to move beyond the logic of success and failure toward an open-ended commitment to the more-than-human.

scholarly journals Cucumis dipsaceus (hedgehog gourd).

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shruti Dube
Keyword(s):  
Community Composition ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Arabian Peninsula ◽  
Galapagos Islands ◽  
Natural Ecosystem ◽  
Galápagos Islands ◽  
Large Area ◽  
The World

Abstract Cucumis dipsaceus is an annual climbing herb native to Africa and the Arabian Peninsula that has become invasive in many regions around the world where it spread or was introduced. In Mexico, this species is possibly expanding and is classified as an invasive. In the Galapagos Islands C. dipsaceus has invaded a large area and is affecting the natural ecosystem by altering community composition and threatening native species.

Cockroaches of the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, with descriptions of three new species (Insecta: Blattodea)

1992 ◽  
Vol 70 (11) ◽  
pp. 2202-2217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stewart B. Peck ◽  
Louis M. Roth
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Introduced Species ◽  
Endemic Species ◽  
New Records ◽  
Galapagos Islands ◽  
Galápagos Islands ◽  
Nauphoeta Cinerea ◽  
Per Se ◽  
Three New Species ◽  
Periplaneta Australasiae

Eighteen species of cockroaches are reported to occur on the Galápagos Islands. Five species are endemic and in this paper three of these are described as new species: Chorisoneura cristobalensis Roth, C. carpenteri Roth, and Ischnoptera santacruzensis Roth. Endemic Ischnoptera snodgrasii (McNeill) COMB.NOV. is transferred from Anisopygia, and redescribed. Previous reports of the introduced species Periplaneta brunnea, Nauphoeta cinerea, and Phoetalia pallida could not be confirmed. These species may not have become established or may have become extinct. New records of native or introduced species are given for Holocompsa nitidula, Holocompsa sp., Anaplecta lateralis, Blaberus parabolicus, and Rhyparobia maderae. Of the introduced species, only Periplaneta australasiae, Symploce pallens, and Pycnoscelus surinamensis seem to have invaded native (undisturbed) habitats. The endemic species are partially or wholly flightless. This may not be a result of island life per se, but may be a specialization for life in more homogeneous litter or cave habitats at higher elevations on the islands.

The Chloropidae (Diptera) of the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador

2003 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 265-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Forrest ◽  
Terry Wheeler
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Endemic Species ◽  
Galapagos Islands ◽  
Formal Description ◽  
Galápagos Islands ◽  
Insufficient Information ◽  
First Time

AbstractThirteen species of Chloropidae are recorded from the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. Seven new species are described: Diplotoxa loma sp. n. (subfamily Chloropinae); Conioscinella empheria sp. n.; Gaurax gethosyne sp. n.; Hippelates alyscus sp. n.; Liohippelates baptipalpis sp. n.; Olcella anaclasta sp. n.; Olcella lupina sp. n. (subfamily Oscinellinae). Another species in the genus Apallates is apparently undescribed, but there is insufficient information to justify a formal description. Monochaetoscinella anonyma is recorded for the first time from the archipelago. Four species previously recorded from the archipelago were also identified: Cadrema pallida; Conioscinella galapagensis; Elachiptera cultrata; Liohippelates galapagensis. Previously published Galápagos records of Liohippelates pusio apparently refer to L. galapagensis. A key to the Galápagos species of Chloropidae is given. Geographic affinities of the Galápagos chloropid fauna are similar to those of other Diptera from the archipelago, with few pantropical species, some species also found in the northern Neotropical and southern Nearctic regions, and endemic species apparently with Neotropical sister groups.

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