Galapagos Flashcards
Number of inhabited islands
5 Santa cruz San Cristobal floreana Isabela Beltra
When did Darwin visit the Galapagos?
1835
What is the most volcanically active volcano in the Galapagos?
Fernandina
What is the name of the tectonic plate the Galapagos sits on?
The Nazca Plate
What is a shield volcano?
A volcano that looks like the dome of a shield lying on the grounds, with gently sloping sides
Which of the Galápagos Islands are shield volcanos.
Fernandina and Santa Cruz
What is the largest island in the Galapagos?
Isabela
What is the distance from Galapagos to Quito?
769 miles
True/False. Pahoehoe lava looks rope-like.
True
How often is there an el Niño year?
Every eight years
What is the impact of El Niño on the Galapagos?
Increases in temperature and rainfall, changes in water temperature alter animals food sources some birds die, currents bring in fewer nutrients
What sites did you visit in the Galapagos in May 2024? (Eight islands)
Santa Cruz
Espanola, Punta Suárez, Gardner Bay, Osborn and Gardner Islets
San Cristobal, Punta Pitt, Kicker Rock, Cerró Brújula
Mosquera Island, Santa Cruz, Black Turtle Cove
Santiago, Chinese Hat, Rabida Island, Flamingo Lagoon
Bartolome Island, Santiago Island, Sullivan Bay
Santa Fe, South Plaza
Bachus Beach
What did you see in Bartolomé in May 2024?
Across the water in Sullivan Bay, Santiago
Land near Pinnacle Rock
La Playa
Escalera
Bring windbreaker
Animals
Birds
Hawks,
Plants
White flowered chamaesyce (finches eat seeds) Tiquilia
What are five words that describe Bartolomé island in the Galapagos?
Small island off the coast of Santiago and Sullivan Bay
Pinnacle Rock a volcanic cone landmark
Watch blue footed boobies fish
View from pinnacle rock
What is another name for Española island?
Hood Island
Which is the southern most island in the Galapagos?
Española
Which is the oldest island in the Galapagos?
Española
What is unique about Española’s marine iguanas?
They change color during breeding season
What is the name of the rocky island off the coast of Santiago, named after a convent?
Rabida
Did Darwin visit San Cristobal?
Yes
Which Galapagos island has the largest fresh water lake, and what is its name?
San Cristobal
Laguna El Junco
Which island has the town Puerto Ayora?
Santa Cruz
Which Galapagos island is 70% agricultural?
Santa Cruz
Where is a good place to see some of the largest Opuntia trees?
Santa Fé
Why are some of the plants on the Galapagos self pollinating?
They arrived before pollinating insects.
Define adaptive radiation.
A species diversifies as it spreads to different ecological niches, these become new species
Why do Nazca booby chicks kill their siblings?
Insurance that one will survive, lack of resources, second chick is a food resource
Why do land iguanas behave so differently than marine iguanas?
Answer
Give an example of human impact on evolution in the Galapagos.
- 2012 Emily Wheeler, p.225 Moore and Cotner- land iguanas living near human settlements had higher rates of antibiotic resistant bacteria, may have health impact on iguanas
What are the notable differences in behavior and appearance of land and marine iguanas in the Galapagos?
- Evolution. Land and marine iguanas share a common ancestor 10.5 Mya. They have been observed interbreeding.
- Appearance. Marine are darker with shorter snouts, flatter tails, curved claws,
- Behavior. Land ones eat plants and cannot swim, marines eat algae and swim. They have different breeding seasons and territories.
What are lava tunnels and how do the form?
A tube forms as lava cools in a lava flow isolating and internal core of heat from the air after the lava flow ends the tube remains
How can parts of islands such as Santa Cruz be an arid dessert on one side and humid with lush vegetation on the other?
The oceanic currents hit each side of the island differently.
Who are Cobos, Wittmer, Angermeyer, Gil, and Villamil?
Find out
Where did the Galápagos Islands come from, and why is it important for what you will see there?
The Galapagos form over a volcanic hot spot in the Nazca plate off the coast of Ecuador. The southern most are the oldest and the northern the most recent. Few natural predators. Isolation and speciation. Little biological diversity, few species.
Name the main islands in the Galapagos and describe their positions.
Which Galapagos island is the northernmost of the seven most visited?
Santiago
Which Galapagos island was once called Indefatigable?
Santa Cruz
Old names of islands in the Galapagos.
