1. Biomes: Islands & Evolution
THE GALAPAGOS ARCHIPELAGO
A Collaborative Project

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Island Geography & Life Forms
How & When Islands Formed
Endemic Species:
Galapagos Penguin
Galapagos Giant Tortoise

3. Introduction The Galapagos Islands is an “Archipelago”
1574: Named “Galapago” meaning “Saddle” for Giant Tortoise shell
: Famous Hideout for Pirates
Whaling Ships
1835: Darwin’s Visit which led to his theory of evolution

4. Geography & Life Forms Basic Geography Facts:
Archipelago of Volcanic Islands
Located around the Equator in the Pacific Ocean
600 miles West of Ecuador
3,042 sq. miles of land
13 Main Islands, 5 Minor & 107 “Rocks” & Inlets

5. Noteworthy Native Animal Species
Galapagos Tortoise Waved Albatross
Land & Marine Iguanas Galapagos Penguin
Flightless Cormorant Galapagos Hawk
Blue-footed Booby Galapagos Sea Lion

6. Beginnings of Endemic Life Forms
SEEDS: by wind and water drop in rock crevices and germinate by humidity
MARINE LIFE: strong and cold ocean currents bring sea lions, penguins
SEA BIRDS: fly to island
TORTOISES & IGUANAS: float on vegetation or tree trunks propelled by currents

7. Weather Humboldt Current brings cold water to the Galapagos
Many Microclimates; higher altitude… cooler & rainier
Two Seasons:
“Garua” (June-Nov): 72 degrees w/ cold winds, dense fogs, and
drizzles (called Garuas in Spanish)
Warm Season (Dec-May) 77 degrees w/ sun and occasional heavy
rains

8. How & When the Galapagos Formed…
5 Million years ago the first Islands emerged from the ocean floor
Layer upon layer of lava spilled from underwater volcanoes
As this volcanic activity continues, new islands are formed

9. The Galapagos are among the most active volcanoes in the world… This is La Cumbre volcano on Fernandina Island, April ‘09

10. The Archipelago of Volcanic Islands is located atop the Galapagos “Hotspot”
A “Hotspot” is a place where Earth’s crust is being melted from below by a Mantle Plume, creating volcanoes
A Mantle Plume works like a lava lamp
The “Hotspot” is 20 million years old
Located in the East Pacific Ocean
Responsible for the creation of Galapagos Islands
2 Tectonic Plates move over the “hotspot”
4 major lava reservoirs feed the “hotspot”

11. The Galapagos Islands were formed by lava flows from the “Hotspot”……
The Galapagos Islands were formed by lava flows from the “Hotspot”…….The Islands on the East side (closer to “hotspot”) are older, while the islands toward the West are younger.

12. Rare species of plants & animals found nowhere else on earth inhabit the Galapagos Islands

13. The Giant Tortoise

14. The Giant Tortoise Inspired Charles Darwin….
First Tortoises floated to the Galapagos Islands on logs or vegetation
Evolved over millions of years into 15 distinct subspecies living on different islands
Each island has Giant Tortoises with different shaped shells
Numbers decreased due to Whalers & Turtle hunters
To avoid extinction, biologists have placed many in captivity to facilitate breeding

15. Giant Tortoise facts: Belongs to species “Geochelone Elephantopus:
Mature at age years
Grow up to 5 feet & weigh more than 500lbs
Lay only 2-16 eggs at a time
Eggs are buried for 4-8 months

16. Adaptation Strategies of the Giant Tortoise
Evolved into different subspecies to adapt to each island’s specific microclimate and vegetation
As vegetarians, the Giant Tortoise has a varied diet of prickly pear cactus, fruit, bromeliads, water ferns, leaves & grasses
Has a well developed sense of smell
Has a huge water storage capacity…can survive more than 1 year without food or water

17. The Galapagos Penguin

18. The Penguins come to the Galapagos….
The cold Humboldt Current brought the Penguins to the Galapagos from Antarctica
The Penguins depend on this cold, nutrient rich ocean current
Congregate along rocky lava shores of Isabela, Fernandina, Santiago & Bartolome Islands…which are cooled by both the Humboldt and Cromwell currents

19. Galapagos Penguin facts:
Galapagos Penguins are the smallest Penguins in the world
Penguins grow to be 20 inches tall, weigh 5 lbs
Females are smaller
Cool off in cold water, swimming slowly & gracefully
When searching for food, dive & swim fast using flippers
Chicks stay w/ parents for 60 days

20. Threats …
1987 El Nino Current: This current killed off most of the small shore fish such as sardines
As a result, 75% of the Penguins died due to lack of food
Less than 1,000 pairs remain
Now considered an endangered species

21. …..and Predators Snakes Galapagos Hawk Galapagos Sea Lion
Galapagos Sharks
Galapagos Crabs

22. The End

23. Sources Cited
Galapagos Conservation Trust: land animals of Galapagos, Jan
Global Volcanism Program. “Fernandina”
La Cumbre Volcano. Galapagos Islands, April 16, 2009
Vnir, Aster. “Volcanic Islands in the Pacific Ocean,
White, W.M. “A Brief Introduction to the Geology of the Galapagos”,
WikiPedia, “Galapagos Islands”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/galapagos_islands
WWF The Galapagos Species.