What is the biodiversity of the Galapagos Islands?

What is the biodiversity of the Galapagos Islands?

Biodiversity. The Galapagos Islands are home to some of the highest levels of endemism (species found nowhere else on earth) anywhere on the planet. About 80% of the land birds you will see, 97% of the reptiles and land mammals, and more than 30% of the plants are endemic.

What are some threats to the Galapagos Islands?

The Galapagos Islands face many environmental threats. Ecosystem degradation could be caused by: climate change, deforestation, pollution, overfishing, eutrophication and the introduction of invasive species.

Are the Galapagos Islands a biodiversity hotspot?

Reached by four major ocean currents, including upwellings of deep water rich in nutrients, the Galápagos Islands off the coast of South America are a hotspot of biodiversity.

What factors increase island biodiversity?

The characteristics of the species assemblages found on islands are determined by many factors, including size, age, distance to other islands and the mainland, climatic history, current climate, relief and geology.

What is the largest human caused threat to biodiversity?

Habitat loss is the single greatest threat to biodiversity on Earth today and in fact it is the second largest threat to our existence on this planet next to Climate Change.

Does island size increase biodiversity?

An island’s size also affects its biodiversity, since larger islands will have a wider variety of habitats, so species which arrive on the island will diversify to fill up the available niches. A surprising finding, however, was that species richness is increasing even on isolated islands.

Why do islands float?

Floating islands commonly rise in newly-flooded reservoirs. This happens if the flooded area has plenty of peaty soil (such soil contains decomposing vegetation). Once the bottom of the reservoir is filled with certain types of peat, it becomes buoyant.