Galapagos Penguin Decline

Coral reefs support an abundant and diverse population of herbivores, on reefs subject to minimal human disturbance, herbivorous fish such as the scaridae family are predominant herbivores, both in terms of population density and algal biomass consumption. By the consumption of algae, parrotfishes open space for young coral settlement and growth, therefore playing a vital role in the maintenance of coral reefs. This feeding behavior has been observed and past studies have stated that parrotfishes spend ninety percent of their day feeding on algae and in some cases dead corals. This is important as most of the reefs in the Caribbean and across the tropics are being affected by an increase in algae growth which lead to the smothering of coral reefs and sea grass beds. Additionally, after the consumption of some species of

Hundreds of algae species are scattered across the land, as well as around 100 species of linchen, 350 species of moss, and 2 grass species. The subantarctic islands surrounding Antarctica have a wider range of plants. About 45 bird species populate the area south of the Antarctica Convergence, and a few penguins and petrels actually live on the continent. The waters surrounding Antarctica are full of seabirds, fish, seals, and whales.

Conservation of our biodiversity not only demonstrates foresight, it protects the natural resources so vital to our own continued existence. The value of any single species to an ecosystem is immeasurable; the environment will not endure without its species, despite size or niche. These animals are not dispensable. And, they are apt to face extinction in the not too distant future, unless a resolve for their preservation is insisted by the public and enforced by governments internationally.

In chapter three of The Sixth Extinction, Elizabeth Kolbert describes how the Great Auk went extinct. The Great Auk is considered “the original penguin.” Sadly, they became extinct in the 1800s. They were found in North Atlantic; were it is cold. The Great Auks were killed by poachers. The poachers killed them for food, feathers, and even used them to keep their fires stoked to keep them warm. “You take a kettle with you into which you put a Penguin or two, you kindle a fire under it, and this fire is absolutely made of the unfortunate Penguins themselves.” So the questions are: “How do animals, such as corals, survive in an ever-changing environment?” and “How do humans play a role in increasing or causing

Kathy Conlan is an expert in understanding the weird and wonderful world of marine creatures that live deep under the Arctic ice. She specializes in marine benthic biology and amphipod systematics. Kathy studies how human and natural changes affect marine life in the Arctic and Antarctic, the effects of pollution on marine life as well as global warming. She is past chief officer for Life Sciences in the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and is a judge for SCAR’s Martha T. Muse Prize for Science and policy in Antarctica, represents Canada for the Canadian Committee on Antarctic Research, taught at Huntsman Marine Science Centre and Students On Ice, mentors university students and gives speaches and “Show and tells” at the museum.

On the Galápagos Islands off the coast near Ecuador we studied the behaviors of the animals, plants and environment on Daphne Major we found that the lack of rainfall during the wet season of 1977 caused most of the plants to produce less seeds and thus most of the medium ground finches died of starvation as their main food source had become scarce. Although the lack of seeds some finches were able to survive with their longer and bigger beaks. They were able to survive because their beaks were able to break open the harder and more plentiful Tribulus seeds that survived the dry season of 1977.

Penguins lives in north pole. penguin eats fish, ray fish, squid, cod, krill and shrimp. They live for 10 years to 25 years. Penguins huddle up to keep warm because to protect them. A penguin is a bird but it cant fly. Baby penguins are born with out feathers. Penguins dive 50 to 60 feet to catch their food. when baby penguins are about 4 weeks old they huddle up to keep warm.

The Ted Talk video “Pay Attention to Penguins” shows one example of a change that can affect populations. Global warming affected the penguin’s ecosystem by melting the ice caps and killing the penguins. Global warming caused by humans has several negative impacts such as melting ice caps, reducing land used for breeding, and decreasing food supplies for penguins. The melted ice caps will raise sea level which will make no land for mating and laying eggs. The food levels will diminish like squid, krill and fish which will affect the survival of the penguins. Another way to interpret the change is that

One way the Little Swan Island Hutia went extinct is the introduction of cats. They were eventually released onto the island prior to 1960. Another way they went extinct is when a severe hurricane (hurricane Janet) hit in 1955 which also could

In the last few decades, various marine species of Antarctic ecosystem have been brought close to extinction because of human activities in various forms such as pollution from sewage and other contaminants, overfishing and other mixed activities and

- Galapagos penguin is listed as an endangered species as like many species found around the islands, they are endemic to the area and do not adapt well to sudden changes in their environment.

The King penguins take 14 to 16 months to fledge a single chick. At sea, King Penguins are usually found in ice-free waters. The cheeks of the King penguins are dark orange. The belly is white but the back is paler than other penguins, more of a grey than black. Due to the extended breeding cycle some birds can be found in the colony at any time of the year.

Krill numbers in this region may have dropped by as much as 80% since the 1970's - so today's stocks are a mere 1/5th of what they were only 30 years ago. The decline in krill may in turn account for the decline in the numbers of some penguin species.

There are many problems with the marine and land ecosystems on Chile's Juan Fernandez archipelago. One of the problems is some of the trees and plants have been destroyed by logging destruction and fires. Some say that the problem is easy to fix, but others claim that it is too much money. Also, many birds are getting instinct. Part of that problem is all of the invasive species living there. they are starting to crowd out the island's native plants and birds. This occurs when humans start to live on the island. The island's native peoples brought goats and rabbits that just reproduced. They also brought along cats, mice, rats and carnivorous coati, certain racoon. Each species has made a problem. The cats have killed hummingbirds. There are now less than 1,000 birds. Now, there are many wild goats on the island. They are destroying a habitat of a bird species called Rayadito de Masafuera. Now there are only less than 550 of them remainding. Settlers of Chile have also cut down native trees of the islands. Flourishing European and North African blackberry plants and Chile’s

Emperor penguins are known to be the largest of all penguins, an average bird stands 45 inches tall. The emperor penguins are slow and dignified, it’s a beautiful bird with a blue grey back that shades into a black tail, and a characteristically white belly flushed with yellow. Penguins interact with humans in a interesting but different way. The Emperor penguins are near the top of the Southern Ocean’s food chain. Their varied menu changes with the season, some prey items are more important than others. An adult emperor penguin eats 2-3 kilograms each day. When they need to be fatten up before or at the start of the breeding season, they can eat as much as 6 kilograms per day. Before returning to the colony breeding penguins have to fill up to feed their baby chicks, and the colonies are