The Galapagos Islands
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- Date Submitted: 11/07/2011 01:34 PM
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The Galapagos Islands
The Galapagos Islands which are located in the Pacific Ocean from the Ecuadorian coastline in South America, are considered a living museum and showcase of evolution because of the diverse life forms that inhabit these nineteen islands and the surrounding marine (World Wildlife Fund). The development of unusual animal life such as the land iguana, the many types of finch, and the giant tortoise was a result of the islands being isolated and escaping human colonization for so long which is also why the islands original biological makeup had remained relatively intact. These islands are what inspired Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection and the origins of life (World Wildlife Fund). The diverse life forms that are found on the Galapagos Islands have shown to be the ideal living laboratory for the study of biological evolution, and that is why it is important to preserve these life forms and the ecosystems in which they inhabit. It can be said that the Galapagos Islands are an important scientific and natural treasure because of the untold amounts of information on unique species and evolutionary processes (World Wildlife Fund).
The habitats of the Galapagos Islands are determined mostly by the vegetation and this vegetation is zoned by altitude into four different vegetation zones (Charles Darwin Foundation, 2006). These zones include the Littoral Zone which is mainly influenced by salt spray along the coast, the Dry Zone which is the largest vegetation type of the islands, the Transition Zone which is dry woodland, and the Humid Zone which consists of Scalesia forests, Miconia scrub and highland grasslands (Charles Darwin Foundation, 2006). The islands promote evolutionary change due to the many different degrees of geographical isolation found there, and each of these zones has its own distinct collection of species (Charles Darwin Foundation, 2006). The Galapagos marine ecosystems have an unusual range...
The Galapagos Islands which are located in the Pacific Ocean from the Ecuadorian coastline in South America, are considered a living museum and showcase of evolution because of the diverse life forms that inhabit these nineteen islands and the surrounding marine (World Wildlife Fund). The development of unusual animal life such as the land iguana, the many types of finch, and the giant tortoise was a result of the islands being isolated and escaping human colonization for so long which is also why the islands original biological makeup had remained relatively intact. These islands are what inspired Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection and the origins of life (World Wildlife Fund). The diverse life forms that are found on the Galapagos Islands have shown to be the ideal living laboratory for the study of biological evolution, and that is why it is important to preserve these life forms and the ecosystems in which they inhabit. It can be said that the Galapagos Islands are an important scientific and natural treasure because of the untold amounts of information on unique species and evolutionary processes (World Wildlife Fund).
The habitats of the Galapagos Islands are determined mostly by the vegetation and this vegetation is zoned by altitude into four different vegetation zones (Charles Darwin Foundation, 2006). These zones include the Littoral Zone which is mainly influenced by salt spray along the coast, the Dry Zone which is the largest vegetation type of the islands, the Transition Zone which is dry woodland, and the Humid Zone which consists of Scalesia forests, Miconia scrub and highland grasslands (Charles Darwin Foundation, 2006). The islands promote evolutionary change due to the many different degrees of geographical isolation found there, and each of these zones has its own distinct collection of species (Charles Darwin Foundation, 2006). The Galapagos marine ecosystems have an unusual range...