Galapagos
Day 1 - January 1st 2018
Technically our trip started on New Years Eve in a Hilton Hotel near JFK airport in Queens, New York. We all meet up in Professor Tait's room for Greg and Haley's presentation on seismic activity in Ecuador. Lester also gave his presentation on birds in Ecuador that night. We left to go back to our rooms with about ten minutes until the new year. I was sharing a room with Becky, Lori, Laurel, Victoria, and Elana and we watched the ball drop, yelled happy new year, and went straight to bed because we knew we would be waking up in less than four hours to start our trip to Ecuador!
We arrived at JFK airport around 4:30. We were flying Avianca and our flight was scheduled to leave at 6:35, but due to the conveyor belt for our luggage freezing, we sat on the plane until about 9:30. This caused our layover in Bogota, Colombia to be delayed also. I feel as though we were all in good spirits despite the delays because we were on our way to Ecuador.
We arrived in Guayaquil much later than anticipated and this was when we first met our guide for the entire trip - Diego. From the airport we went to our first hotel of many, Continental Hotel, and we were immediately served juice drinks from the restaurant within the hotel. Room numbers and roommates were assigned - I was with Jacalyn and Laurel.
We then got together for an introduction presentation by Diego. He told us about the "4 walls" of Ecuador - the Galapagos, the Coast, the Andes, and the Amazon. So, this small country, which is roughly the size of Nevada, has very diverse areas and we would be traveling to almost all of them. There are also many different cultures in Ecuador - 17 ethnic groups that can be recognize by their dress. Diego also told us not us not to use $50 or $100 bills, because most places/people will not have change since Ecuador uses mainly US dollar coins. One of many memorable things that Diego said was to "dress like onions" because in all part of Ecuador, the weather can be "bipolar" so we had to be prepared for hot, cold, or somewhere in between.
Technically our trip started on New Years Eve in a Hilton Hotel near JFK airport in Queens, New York. We all meet up in Professor Tait's room for Greg and Haley's presentation on seismic activity in Ecuador. Lester also gave his presentation on birds in Ecuador that night. We left to go back to our rooms with about ten minutes until the new year. I was sharing a room with Becky, Lori, Laurel, Victoria, and Elana and we watched the ball drop, yelled happy new year, and went straight to bed because we knew we would be waking up in less than four hours to start our trip to Ecuador!
We arrived at JFK airport around 4:30. We were flying Avianca and our flight was scheduled to leave at 6:35, but due to the conveyor belt for our luggage freezing, we sat on the plane until about 9:30. This caused our layover in Bogota, Colombia to be delayed also. I feel as though we were all in good spirits despite the delays because we were on our way to Ecuador.
We arrived in Guayaquil much later than anticipated and this was when we first met our guide for the entire trip - Diego. From the airport we went to our first hotel of many, Continental Hotel, and we were immediately served juice drinks from the restaurant within the hotel. Room numbers and roommates were assigned - I was with Jacalyn and Laurel.
We then got together for an introduction presentation by Diego. He told us about the "4 walls" of Ecuador - the Galapagos, the Coast, the Andes, and the Amazon. So, this small country, which is roughly the size of Nevada, has very diverse areas and we would be traveling to almost all of them. There are also many different cultures in Ecuador - 17 ethnic groups that can be recognize by their dress. Diego also told us not us not to use $50 or $100 bills, because most places/people will not have change since Ecuador uses mainly US dollar coins. One of many memorable things that Diego said was to "dress like onions" because in all part of Ecuador, the weather can be "bipolar" so we had to be prepared for hot, cold, or somewhere in between.
Day 2 - January 2nd 2018
On this day we left the hotel around 7:00am to go back to the airport - but this time we were flying to the Galapagos Islands. We landed on the island of Baltra and immediately noticed the three wind turbines in the distance that powered the airport. Diego told us that the airport was originally build by the US military during WWII as a base. From Baltra we took a quick, ten minute boat ride to the neighboring island of Santa Cruz.
The following videos are (1) looking out of our bus on the way from the airport to the boat - I was surprised by the desert like landscape - and the next video (2) is the boat ride from Baltra to Santa Cruz.
On this day we left the hotel around 7:00am to go back to the airport - but this time we were flying to the Galapagos Islands. We landed on the island of Baltra and immediately noticed the three wind turbines in the distance that powered the airport. Diego told us that the airport was originally build by the US military during WWII as a base. From Baltra we took a quick, ten minute boat ride to the neighboring island of Santa Cruz.
The following videos are (1) looking out of our bus on the way from the airport to the boat - I was surprised by the desert like landscape - and the next video (2) is the boat ride from Baltra to Santa Cruz.
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From the boat, we got in vans and drove to Los Gelemos - giant crater pits. The pits were formed when lava chambers behind the island emptied and the roofs of these chambers collapsed, as Diego explained. Over time vegetation covered the exposed lava rock surface. "Los Gemelos" translated to English means "the twins" and the crater pits are called this because Santa Cruz has two very similar pits about the same size. We then drove to El Chato - a tortoise reservation. We saw the famous Galapagos tortoises and we even saw the more well-known Darwin’s finches. Diego told us about the invasion plants to the islands – blackberries being one of them, even though they were made into my favorite juice drink that we had while in Ecuador: mora. At the tortoise reserve, we also went into some caves that were formed by the lava when the islands were forming. Diego pointed out the plants that were growing under the lights that were put into the caves for the tourists and mentioned how under natural circumstances no plants would grow in the caves because they would have no light to go through photosynthesis. |
We then checked into Hotel Ninfa Puerto Ayora, got lunch and Diego asked if we wanted to go swimming. Of course, we wanted to go swimming! We had to take a quick boat taxi to another part of the island and then we walked for about a mile. The terrain on the island was like being on another plant – the soil was a burnt orange, there were cacti and white trees with no leaves, there were sea lions and iguanas laying wherever they pleased, and all the signs were in Spanish! We also walked past a pink salt farm. Diego said that the pink color was from a specific chemical coming in from the ocean with the salt. When we finally arrived at or destination – a dark blue swimming hole/grotto – I stuck my toes in the water and decided it was too cold for me. I felt like I was missing out on an opportunity, but I decided to walk around more and explore – and luckily Victoria and Tait did too! We walked around the upper part of the grotto looking for sharks, watching our classmates swim below us, and Victoria and I had a little photoshoot.
On our walk back to the hotel we stopped on the tiny boardwalk to watch the sunset as a class. Once back at our hotel, we got dinner, and that night Lori and Becky did their presentation on Biodiversity in Ecuador.
On our walk back to the hotel we stopped on the tiny boardwalk to watch the sunset as a class. Once back at our hotel, we got dinner, and that night Lori and Becky did their presentation on Biodiversity in Ecuador.
Day 3 - January 3rd 2018
On this day some people from our group got up extra early to go back to the watering hole that we ventured to the day before. I slept in and got breakfast at the hotel. The night before, Tait had discussed with us about doing our presentation before lunch since we had so much free time in the morning. So, after my breakfast Angelique, Elana and I did some last-minute preparing for our presentation on Ecotourism in Ecuador. After our presentation, everyone packed up and we walked down to lunch with our suitcases. We had lunch with a view of the water. I was a little nervous to be eating right before I knew we were getting on a boat for two hours while we traveled to Isabela Island. However, I think eating a full meal before the boat ride helped my sea sickness! I felt fine and was actually enjoying myself on a boat. I’ve never been on a boat that went so fast. Most of us ended up passing out after about twenty minutes when there was nothing else to look at besides open ocean. When we got the boat on Isabela we were immediately greeted by baby sea lions and marine iguanas. This is where we first met our guide for Isabela island – Paola. Our entire group fell in love with Paola. She had such a passion for the islands and kept thanking us for coming to the Galapagos because it gave her a job. Our transportation was a type of large van with wooden benches as seats and the sides were open as there were no doors. We arrived at our hotel, Casa Marita, only to briefly put our things away and then go out for lunch. |
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After lunch we walked to a bike shop which was right down the sandy road. It was time to act like Goldilocks and find a bike that fit each one of us best. Paola and Diego lead the way down the road through the tiny town on the coast and eventually the road got a little bumpier as we got further from town. We biked maybe a mile before stopping near a large pit – which Paola explained to us was man-made from mining for lava rocks for house foundations. This man-made pit had filled with rain water and eventually brine shrimp populated the water – possibly being blow from the ocean by the wind or in mist. And where there are shrimp there are flamingos! Paola told us that the flamingos were from the Bahamas, however, there numbers on the islands are declining. Due to warming waters, there is less oxygen in the water for the shrimp, and with less food, there are less flamingos. Paola told us that hammer head sharks, dolphins, fur seals, sea cucumbers and sea urchins were all hunted at one point and their populations on the islands were threatened.
On our bike ride back, a few of us were riding near Paola and she apologized to us for her English. I thought her English was perfectly fine! Sure, there were a few words here and there that she didn’t know but I thought that was completely normal. She told us that she had only been learning English for three months at that point! And the kicker was that she taught herself by watching Youtube videos and listening to American music! Paola told us there were not many jobs on the islands, but ecotourism was huge and knowing English gave her a big advantage. That night before dinner we had some free time so most of us decided to go down to the beach. By the time I got there, a few of my classmates were already there and looking at a seal in the water catching his dinner! I was so mesmerized by the seal that I did not notice, until the seal swam away, that the lava rocks were covered in female marine iguanas, hundreds of black crabs, and a few red crabs. Away from the lava rocks and onto a more stereotypical looking beach, I could see the pink sunset in the distance even though it was cloudy that night. I believe it was myself, Laurel, Victoria, Angelique, Hunter, Kevin and Greg that had the spontaneous urge to run into the ocean. So we did just that! It was crazy to think that I was touching the Pacific ocean for the first time. After dinner we had some more free time since we did our presentation in the morning. I think all of us went to get ice cream and souvenir shopping and then some people wanted to find a beach bar. I'm not one for over-priced alcohol that I don't necessarily like, but I went along for fun. The beach bar adorable - there was a huge mural of an iguana and there were cute signs all around. My favorite said, "YOGO: You Only Galapagos Once." There was dance music being played in Spanish. We ended up being followed however.. by a little black lab mix puppy! We named her Isabela after the island and ran around on the beach playing with her. |
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Day 4 - January 4th 2018
This day was a jam packed day! We started off by going snorkeling. We were told that it was the Spring tide, which meant that there was the lowest and highest tides and that day was going to be the lowest it will be all year - perfect for snorkeling! We were given googles, snorkels, and flippers. When we arrived to the spot we were would be snorkeling, there was another group there already, however, they were wearing wet suits. And oh boy, once I touched that water I could see why! The water was freezing!!! I'm literally allergic to the cold but I wasn't going to let this kept me from missing out on another opportunity. Haley and Greg were the first to go in the water, but Greg had to quickly get out because he stuck his hand on a sea urchin! Tait and Greg left for the hospital then. Once I got in the water, it was really hard to breathe at first - I mean like I was hyperventilating. I had to calm myself enough so that I could use the snorkel. It didn't take long to see some amazing starfish, huge colorful fish, and eventually a sea turtle! I couldn't last the cold much longer so I asked our guide how much time we had left. He told me about forty minutes and then proceeded to show me a huge sting-ray that was hiding under a rock. I knew I couldn't last forty more minutes in the cold water so I started to swim back to where we left our stuff on the algae covered lava rocks. On my lonely swim back, I ran into the sea turtle again! This made for a really good video because not everyone was huddled around him this time. Once back on land, while waiting for my classmates, I killed time but looking in all the shallow pools created by the low tide. I got to witness a small crab eat a tiny fish!
This day was a jam packed day! We started off by going snorkeling. We were told that it was the Spring tide, which meant that there was the lowest and highest tides and that day was going to be the lowest it will be all year - perfect for snorkeling! We were given googles, snorkels, and flippers. When we arrived to the spot we were would be snorkeling, there was another group there already, however, they were wearing wet suits. And oh boy, once I touched that water I could see why! The water was freezing!!! I'm literally allergic to the cold but I wasn't going to let this kept me from missing out on another opportunity. Haley and Greg were the first to go in the water, but Greg had to quickly get out because he stuck his hand on a sea urchin! Tait and Greg left for the hospital then. Once I got in the water, it was really hard to breathe at first - I mean like I was hyperventilating. I had to calm myself enough so that I could use the snorkel. It didn't take long to see some amazing starfish, huge colorful fish, and eventually a sea turtle! I couldn't last the cold much longer so I asked our guide how much time we had left. He told me about forty minutes and then proceeded to show me a huge sting-ray that was hiding under a rock. I knew I couldn't last forty more minutes in the cold water so I started to swim back to where we left our stuff on the algae covered lava rocks. On my lonely swim back, I ran into the sea turtle again! This made for a really good video because not everyone was huddled around him this time. Once back on land, while waiting for my classmates, I killed time but looking in all the shallow pools created by the low tide. I got to witness a small crab eat a tiny fish!
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Next we took a short boat ride to the island of Tintoreras - which was made of rocks that were rusted brown color with something white coloring them - our guide joked that it wasn't bird poop like on most islands, but rather it was lichen. Our guide for that day told us that these rocks were "Ah ah lava." This lava was sharp and porous which was caused by gases and the red/brown color was caused from iron rusting from when salt got into the lava as it was released from the vents. This is unlike normal lava or Pahoehoe, which is smooth and might look like the lava is flowing. While we were on this island we also could see some white tipped reef sharks! They were all about six feet in length and they were trapped in a pool while the tide was out. As we made our way around the island, there was a tiny sign that read "stop," right before a small beach, however, our guide said he would look out for other people while we explored! We found baby seals hiding in the mangroves, some so young they still had fur on them! We had to remember to keep at least ten feet from them, but it was so hard. The seals were putting on a show and the iguanas were posing perfectly so everyone got really great pictures and videos of the animals. On this day we were also supposed to go to Sierra Negra - a shield volcano (or caldera) on Isabela Island and the second largest in the world - and we did make the drive up there. However, it was too foggy and Paola said it would not be worth the hour hike there and back to see nothing but fog. So we had to improvise and our first stop was to a cave called Sucre. This cave was also created by tube formation when the lava was still forming the island. The ceiling of the cave looked like it was covered in sparkling gold, unfortunately, it was just sulfur that had fossilized. I thought it was really interesting how the roots from the plants above us hung down from the ceiling of the cave also. The second stop was at a giant tortoise breeding center. We got to see and learn how the eggs were incubated, how the babies were raised together and eventually released to their appropriate island. The final stop before we made it back to the hotel was at "El Mango." This was a hill with man made steps leading up to a wooden platform where you had a panoramic view of the island and other islands in the distance. It was so nice to watch the sunset, take pictures with my friends and as a group with Paola, and just relax. That night at the hotel, no one had a presentation, so we did a reflection as a class. |
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Day 5 - January 5th 2018
This morning we woke up extremely early because we were taking the two hour boat ride back to Santa Cruz. The sunrise was beautiful, but from the moment I stepped on the boat taxi I knew my stomach wasn't going to hold up this time. I'm not sure if it was from not eating breakfast before getting on the boats or if my motion sickness patch was getting old, but I threw up twice on the big boat - in a plastic bag though so I did not throw up in the pristine Galapagos Islands' water nor on any of my friends. Tait got a picture of the first time and Kevin took a lovely video of the second time I vomited!
After checking back into Hotel Ninfa Puerto Ayora, we all changed into our bathing suits because Diego told us we would be spending the morning on the beach! It was a hike to get to the beach though - almost two miles! But it was completely worth it. The beach was not like any beach that I've been to before - Mangrove trees replaced beach umbrellas and proved a place to hang your clothes, pelicans dove into the water for their lunch, and there were people renting out kayaks and snorkeling gear. My favorite part of this beach adventure was looking for sharks in a shallow pool off to the side of the beach. There were about four baby white tip reef sharks, each maybe four feet big, swimming in and out of the pool. I thought I was getting videos of them but the movement of everyone near the pool shuffled the sand up too much and the videos were too foggy. One shark did come within about a meter of me though! In hindsight, I knew the baby shark was just swimming towards me to check out what was in his/her environment. but in the moment when a SHARK is swimming towards you, your heart starts racing! I moved my foot slightly and the shark whipped around swam away from me so fast.
We took a short boat ride back to the part of the island we were staying on instead of hiking the two miles back. I started taking the video that is posted below because we were passing an iguana that was swimming by but a shark also swam by and I caught it on video!
This morning we woke up extremely early because we were taking the two hour boat ride back to Santa Cruz. The sunrise was beautiful, but from the moment I stepped on the boat taxi I knew my stomach wasn't going to hold up this time. I'm not sure if it was from not eating breakfast before getting on the boats or if my motion sickness patch was getting old, but I threw up twice on the big boat - in a plastic bag though so I did not throw up in the pristine Galapagos Islands' water nor on any of my friends. Tait got a picture of the first time and Kevin took a lovely video of the second time I vomited!
After checking back into Hotel Ninfa Puerto Ayora, we all changed into our bathing suits because Diego told us we would be spending the morning on the beach! It was a hike to get to the beach though - almost two miles! But it was completely worth it. The beach was not like any beach that I've been to before - Mangrove trees replaced beach umbrellas and proved a place to hang your clothes, pelicans dove into the water for their lunch, and there were people renting out kayaks and snorkeling gear. My favorite part of this beach adventure was looking for sharks in a shallow pool off to the side of the beach. There were about four baby white tip reef sharks, each maybe four feet big, swimming in and out of the pool. I thought I was getting videos of them but the movement of everyone near the pool shuffled the sand up too much and the videos were too foggy. One shark did come within about a meter of me though! In hindsight, I knew the baby shark was just swimming towards me to check out what was in his/her environment. but in the moment when a SHARK is swimming towards you, your heart starts racing! I moved my foot slightly and the shark whipped around swam away from me so fast.
We took a short boat ride back to the part of the island we were staying on instead of hiking the two miles back. I started taking the video that is posted below because we were passing an iguana that was swimming by but a shark also swam by and I caught it on video!
After attempting to eat ceviche but not being able to eat another soup - especially a cold soup! - Kevin, Victoria and I went to a different restaurant down the street and got pizza. Then after everyone was finished with lunch, we headed the the Charles Darwin Research Station. We had lots of fun exploring and learning more about giant tortoises and also the research that Charles Darwin did, along with what scientists are researching now on the islands. Although it was saddening to see Lonesome George's taxidermy. Lonesome George was the last of the Pinta Island tortoises that died in 2012 - and when he died the line of Pinta tortoise genes also died.
That night there was time for shopping and buying souvenirs! When it was time for dinner, Jacalyn, Victoria, Angelique, Aidan, and I went to the market with Tait and Lester. We got three or four different dishes - all of which came with a side of rice and beans - and all shared to try a little of everything at our last dinner in the Galapagos!
More Details About:
DEET/DDT Affecting Galapagos Animals:
On one of our first drives on Santa Cruz, Diego had mentioned that even the bug spray tourists wore affected the biodiversity on the islands. He said that some mosquitoes were biting humans with the bug spray and not dying, but later when they were eaten by Vermilion flycatchers however, the flycatchers were affectedly negatively and died. While there was very little literature out there on DEET (diethyltoluamide) affecting any type of animal in the Galapagos, there were findings that Deltamethrin, a chemical used in fumigation, did have an effect on the Vermilion flycatchers (Merlen, 2013). The Vermilion flycatchers are rapidly disappearing from the islands that are inhabited by humans - this is probably due to land change, introduced animals such as cat and mice, and landowners using Deltamethrin to control introduced plagues, such as fruit flies and mosquitoes (Merlen, 2013).
DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) and DEET are often easily confused. However, DDT is an inexpensive anti-malaria pesticide that, while it has saved human lives, has negatively affected many species do to its ability to bioaccumulate and hormone-mimicking properties (Alava, et. al., 2011). Marine mammals, such as the Galapagos sea lion, that are at the top of the food chain are used as key indicators of the ecosystem functioning and oceanic-coastal environmental health. (Alava, et. al., 2011). "Galapagos sea lion pups exhibited DDT concentrations similar to those detected in juveniles of Hawaiian monk seals. The maximum levels of DDT concentration detected in six Galapagos sea lion pups are comparable to or higher than the concentrations recently found in Amazon River dolphins and higher than concentrations measured in human milk samples from the Brazilian Amazon, where DDT has been widely sprayed" (Alava, et. al., 2011). No one is certain of the source of DDT in the Galapagos water, however, due to the nutrient-rich waters around the islands, DDT is likely to be "bounded to the organic matter phase in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, where high primary productivity exists" (Alava, et. al., 2011).
Sierra Negra:
Isabela Island is the largest island in the Galapagos Archipelago made up of six separate volcanoes. Sierra Negra is the largest volcano, most active, and the only one tourists can hike (Dex, 2010). Calderas can be created in two ways: an explosive volcanic eruption or the collapse of surface rock into an empty magma chamber ("What is a Caldera?" 2018). Sierra Negra was formed due to numerous episodes of collapse, as evident by the uneven floors ("Volcanism...," n.d.). Sierra Negra has a prominent rift that runs from the northeast to southwest and many of the eruptive vents are located along this rift ("Description of...," n.d.). The most recent eruption was in 1979 from a vent called Volcan Chico ("Description of...," n.d.). Sierra Negra's caldera is unusually shaped in an elliptical, while most other calderas are nearly circular ("Description of...," n.d.). This caldera may be the oldest (~535,000 years old) on Isabela Island, however, it is the shallowest caldera ("Description of...," n.d.). The southern flank of Sierra Negra is heavily vegetated due to this side being the windward side and often being bathed in clouds or mist ("Description of...," n.d.). This is the site of two of the oldest settlements in the Galapagos, the village of Villamil and the town of Santo Tomas ("Description of...," n.d.).
Invasive Blackberries:
Blackberries were first introduced to the islands in the 1960s, and they are considered one of the worst weeds on the islands for several reasons: they ruin agricultural land, prevent unique native forest from growing, and affect the habitats of local wildlife ("Invasive blackberry...," 2015). Blackberries grow fast and have large seed banks which makes current conventional methods, such as manual labor and herbicide application, expensive, labor intensive, and unsuccessful thus far ("Invasive blackberry...," 2015). Currently, scientists are looking for potential biocontrol methods, such as a rust fungus, from the blackberries' native home in China and India ("Invasive blackberry...," 2015). This would not be the first time a biocontrol method was put into practice in the Galapagos: previously the Australian ladybug was introduced to control the cottony cushion scale insect population successfully ("Invasive blackberry...," 2015).
Volcanic Soils:
Volcanic soils or Andisols (from the Japanese word ando meaning "black soil") exist in all climate regions, however, account for less than 1% of the world's glacier-free land area ("Andisols," 2018). This type of soil is found predominately around the Pacific “Ring of Fire” (from the Andes to Alaska to Japan to Indonesia to New Zealand), in the Rift Valley of Africa, and in volcanic regions of Mediterranean countries (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2011). The parent-material is volcanic material, such as ash, and this results in minerals in the soil with poor crystal structure and they are typically dominated by glass and other weathering products (McDaniel, 2018). These minerals give rise to andic properties - the unique chemical and physical ability to fix large quantities of phosphorous and have a high water-holding capacity (McDaniel, 2018). In addition, "under favorable climatic and topographic conditions, andisols are permeable, erosion-resistant, readily tilled, and high in mineral nutrients" (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2011). These properties are the reason why andisols are so fertile and productive ("Andisols," 2018).
DEET/DDT Affecting Galapagos Animals:
On one of our first drives on Santa Cruz, Diego had mentioned that even the bug spray tourists wore affected the biodiversity on the islands. He said that some mosquitoes were biting humans with the bug spray and not dying, but later when they were eaten by Vermilion flycatchers however, the flycatchers were affectedly negatively and died. While there was very little literature out there on DEET (diethyltoluamide) affecting any type of animal in the Galapagos, there were findings that Deltamethrin, a chemical used in fumigation, did have an effect on the Vermilion flycatchers (Merlen, 2013). The Vermilion flycatchers are rapidly disappearing from the islands that are inhabited by humans - this is probably due to land change, introduced animals such as cat and mice, and landowners using Deltamethrin to control introduced plagues, such as fruit flies and mosquitoes (Merlen, 2013).
DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) and DEET are often easily confused. However, DDT is an inexpensive anti-malaria pesticide that, while it has saved human lives, has negatively affected many species do to its ability to bioaccumulate and hormone-mimicking properties (Alava, et. al., 2011). Marine mammals, such as the Galapagos sea lion, that are at the top of the food chain are used as key indicators of the ecosystem functioning and oceanic-coastal environmental health. (Alava, et. al., 2011). "Galapagos sea lion pups exhibited DDT concentrations similar to those detected in juveniles of Hawaiian monk seals. The maximum levels of DDT concentration detected in six Galapagos sea lion pups are comparable to or higher than the concentrations recently found in Amazon River dolphins and higher than concentrations measured in human milk samples from the Brazilian Amazon, where DDT has been widely sprayed" (Alava, et. al., 2011). No one is certain of the source of DDT in the Galapagos water, however, due to the nutrient-rich waters around the islands, DDT is likely to be "bounded to the organic matter phase in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, where high primary productivity exists" (Alava, et. al., 2011).
Sierra Negra:
Isabela Island is the largest island in the Galapagos Archipelago made up of six separate volcanoes. Sierra Negra is the largest volcano, most active, and the only one tourists can hike (Dex, 2010). Calderas can be created in two ways: an explosive volcanic eruption or the collapse of surface rock into an empty magma chamber ("What is a Caldera?" 2018). Sierra Negra was formed due to numerous episodes of collapse, as evident by the uneven floors ("Volcanism...," n.d.). Sierra Negra has a prominent rift that runs from the northeast to southwest and many of the eruptive vents are located along this rift ("Description of...," n.d.). The most recent eruption was in 1979 from a vent called Volcan Chico ("Description of...," n.d.). Sierra Negra's caldera is unusually shaped in an elliptical, while most other calderas are nearly circular ("Description of...," n.d.). This caldera may be the oldest (~535,000 years old) on Isabela Island, however, it is the shallowest caldera ("Description of...," n.d.). The southern flank of Sierra Negra is heavily vegetated due to this side being the windward side and often being bathed in clouds or mist ("Description of...," n.d.). This is the site of two of the oldest settlements in the Galapagos, the village of Villamil and the town of Santo Tomas ("Description of...," n.d.).
Invasive Blackberries:
Blackberries were first introduced to the islands in the 1960s, and they are considered one of the worst weeds on the islands for several reasons: they ruin agricultural land, prevent unique native forest from growing, and affect the habitats of local wildlife ("Invasive blackberry...," 2015). Blackberries grow fast and have large seed banks which makes current conventional methods, such as manual labor and herbicide application, expensive, labor intensive, and unsuccessful thus far ("Invasive blackberry...," 2015). Currently, scientists are looking for potential biocontrol methods, such as a rust fungus, from the blackberries' native home in China and India ("Invasive blackberry...," 2015). This would not be the first time a biocontrol method was put into practice in the Galapagos: previously the Australian ladybug was introduced to control the cottony cushion scale insect population successfully ("Invasive blackberry...," 2015).
Volcanic Soils:
Volcanic soils or Andisols (from the Japanese word ando meaning "black soil") exist in all climate regions, however, account for less than 1% of the world's glacier-free land area ("Andisols," 2018). This type of soil is found predominately around the Pacific “Ring of Fire” (from the Andes to Alaska to Japan to Indonesia to New Zealand), in the Rift Valley of Africa, and in volcanic regions of Mediterranean countries (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2011). The parent-material is volcanic material, such as ash, and this results in minerals in the soil with poor crystal structure and they are typically dominated by glass and other weathering products (McDaniel, 2018). These minerals give rise to andic properties - the unique chemical and physical ability to fix large quantities of phosphorous and have a high water-holding capacity (McDaniel, 2018). In addition, "under favorable climatic and topographic conditions, andisols are permeable, erosion-resistant, readily tilled, and high in mineral nutrients" (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2011). These properties are the reason why andisols are so fertile and productive ("Andisols," 2018).
Sources:
1. Merlen G. 2013. Gone, gone...going: The fate of the vermilion flycatcher on Darwin’s Islands. Pp. 180-188. In:Galapagos Report 2011-2012. GNPS, GCREG, CDF and GC. Puerto Ayora, Galapagos, Ecuador.
https://www.galapagos.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/25.-BIODIV-vermillion-flycatcher.merlen.pdf
2. Alava, J. J., Salazar, S., Cruz, M., Jiménez-Uzcátegui, G., Villegas-Amtmann, S., Paéz-Rosas, D., … Gobas, F. A. P. C. (2011). DDT Strikes Back: Galapagos Sea Lions Face Increasing Health Risks. Ambio, 40(4), 425–430. http://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-011-0136-6
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3357739/
3. Dex, R. (2010). Sierra Negra Volcano Hike, Isabela Island. Retrieved February 19, 2018, from http://www.thinkgalapagos.com/volcano-hike-day-trip.html
4. What is a Caldera? How Do Calderas Form? (2018). Retrieved February 20, 2018, from https://geology.com/articles/caldera/
5. Volcanism in the Galapagos Islands Galapagos Calderas. (n.d.). Retrieved February 20, 2018, from http://pages.uoregon.edu/drt/Research/Volcanic%20Galapagos/presentation.view@_id=9889959127044&_page=2&_part=3&.html
6. Description of the Galapagos Islands Isla Sierra Negra. (n.d.). Retrieved February 20, 2018, from http://pages.uoregon.edu/drt/Research/Volcanic%20Galapagos/presentation.view@_id=9889959127044&_page=3&_part=7&.html
7. Invasive blackberry threatens iconic Galapagos Islands. (2015, September 24). Retrieved February 18, 2018, from https://galapagosconservation.org.uk/invasive-blackberry-threatens-iconic-galapagos-islands/
8. Andisols. (2018). Retrieved February 20, 2018, from https://www.soils.org/discover-soils/soil-basics/soil-types/andisols
9. McDaniel, P. (n.d.). Andisols. Retrieved February 20, 2018, from https://www.cals.uidaho.edu/soilorders/andisols.htm
10. The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. (2011, September 19). Andisol. Retrieved February 20, 2018, from https://www.britannica.com/science/Andisol
1. Merlen G. 2013. Gone, gone...going: The fate of the vermilion flycatcher on Darwin’s Islands. Pp. 180-188. In:Galapagos Report 2011-2012. GNPS, GCREG, CDF and GC. Puerto Ayora, Galapagos, Ecuador.
https://www.galapagos.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/25.-BIODIV-vermillion-flycatcher.merlen.pdf
2. Alava, J. J., Salazar, S., Cruz, M., Jiménez-Uzcátegui, G., Villegas-Amtmann, S., Paéz-Rosas, D., … Gobas, F. A. P. C. (2011). DDT Strikes Back: Galapagos Sea Lions Face Increasing Health Risks. Ambio, 40(4), 425–430. http://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-011-0136-6
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3357739/
3. Dex, R. (2010). Sierra Negra Volcano Hike, Isabela Island. Retrieved February 19, 2018, from http://www.thinkgalapagos.com/volcano-hike-day-trip.html
4. What is a Caldera? How Do Calderas Form? (2018). Retrieved February 20, 2018, from https://geology.com/articles/caldera/
5. Volcanism in the Galapagos Islands Galapagos Calderas. (n.d.). Retrieved February 20, 2018, from http://pages.uoregon.edu/drt/Research/Volcanic%20Galapagos/presentation.view@_id=9889959127044&_page=2&_part=3&.html
6. Description of the Galapagos Islands Isla Sierra Negra. (n.d.). Retrieved February 20, 2018, from http://pages.uoregon.edu/drt/Research/Volcanic%20Galapagos/presentation.view@_id=9889959127044&_page=3&_part=7&.html
7. Invasive blackberry threatens iconic Galapagos Islands. (2015, September 24). Retrieved February 18, 2018, from https://galapagosconservation.org.uk/invasive-blackberry-threatens-iconic-galapagos-islands/
8. Andisols. (2018). Retrieved February 20, 2018, from https://www.soils.org/discover-soils/soil-basics/soil-types/andisols
9. McDaniel, P. (n.d.). Andisols. Retrieved February 20, 2018, from https://www.cals.uidaho.edu/soilorders/andisols.htm
10. The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. (2011, September 19). Andisol. Retrieved February 20, 2018, from https://www.britannica.com/science/Andisol
Pre-Trip Assigned Readings/Videos
galapagos_–_conserving_the_last_eden_video.pdf | |
File Size: | 113 kb |
File Type: |
wildlife_of_the_galapagos_islands_video.pdf | |
File Size: | 111 kb |
File Type: |
submarine_morphology.pdf | |
File Size: | 113 kb |
File Type: |
challenges_in_eradicating_goats_feral_pigs_and_donkeys_from_the_islands.pdf | |
File Size: | 116 kb |
File Type: |
tourism_the_economy_population_growth_and_conservation.pdf | |
File Size: | 184 kb |
File Type: |
sustainable_ecotourism_-_the_galapagos_balance.pdf | |
File Size: | 182 kb |
File Type: |
evolution_in_the_galapagos_.pdf | |
File Size: | 111 kb |
File Type: |
galapagos_finch_evolution.pdf | |
File Size: | 116 kb |
File Type: |
the_origins_of_birds.pdf | |
File Size: | 117 kb |
File Type: |