According to Conservation International, a biodiversity hotspot is defined by the following 2...
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Biodiversity Hotspot- Madagascar & the Indian Ocean Islands
According to Conservation International, a biodiversity hotspot is defined by the following 2 criteria: 1.It must have at least 1,500 species of endemic
According to Conservation International, a biodiversity hotspot
is defined by the following 2 criteria: 1.It must have at least
1,500 species of endemic vascular plants Endemism is the degree to
which species are found only in a given place. 2. must have lost at
least 70% of its original area. 34 hotspots have been identified
worldwide
Slide 3
Region: Madagascar, Seychelles (including Aldabra), the
Comoros, Mauritius (including Rodrigues), and the French overseas
departments of Runion. Seychelles, Comoros & Mascarene islands
in the Indian Ocean have many critically endangered bird species.
Seychelles are also home to the only endemic family of amphibians:
the Sooglossidae, and the Aldabra giant tortoise
Slide 4
Menu 1.Unique Biodiversity & EndemismUnique Biodiversity
& Endemism 2.Hotspot Plant speciesHotspot Plant species
3.Hotspot Vertebrate species- a) BirdsBirds b) MammalsMammals c)
FishesFishes d) Reptiles & AmphibiansReptiles & Amphibians
4.Hotspot Invertebrate speciesHotspot Invertebrate species
Slide 5
Flora and fauna diversity extremely diverse & endemic.
resulted from tens of millions of years of isolation from the
African mainland and from people, who didn't arrive until 2,000
years ago. Endemism is marked not only at the species level, but
also at higher taxonomic levels. 8 plant, 4 bird, and 5 primate
families are endemic. 70% of Madagascars species are endemic. Back
to Menu
Slide 6
More than 13,000 species of vascular plants, 90 % endemic At
least 310 endemic genera of plants. Local endemism is high as well;
some individual mountaintops have 150 to 200 endemic plants.
Madagascar's signature endemic plant, traveler's tree 6 out of 8
species of the baobab, or bottle tree found in drier regions of the
west and south Madagascar. bottle shaped trunks store large
reserves of water(adaptation) Back to menu
Slide 7
Birds of Madagascar low diversity but spectacular endemism.
More than 300 bird species,60% endemic. Over 55 endemic species are
currently threatened, and 32 have already gone extinct, mainly from
the Mascarenes. Birds of the Indian Ocean islands- 10 bird species
extinct in Runion since 1500 & all the endemic birds of
Mauritius are threatened. Back to Menu
Slide 8
Mammals in Madagascar Low diversity, 90% endemic more than 150
mammal species. Lemurs are unique to Madagascar. represented by 5
families of primates. 72 kinds of lemurs (species and subspecies),
representing 15 genera highest primate endemism in the world. One
of the most unusual lemur species is the aye-aye more than 15
endemic bat species, including the Madagascar flying fox and
numerous endemic rodents, like the unusual giant jumping rat
primary predator of lemurs is the carnivore fossa The endemic
tenrecs, a unique family of insect-eating mammals, occupy the
ecological niche that shrews and moles occupy elsewhere.
Slide 9
Mammals are thinly distributed elsewhere on the Indian Ocean
Islands, but include the world's largest bat, Livingstone's flying
fox (Pteropus livingstonii, CR) on the Comoros. Back to menu
Slide 10
smaller islands are dominated by species with wide marine
distributions, which enter both brackish and freshwater habitats.
Madagascar's fish are mainly freshwater species of continental
origin that have evolved on the island. nearly 100 endemic species
of fish. Back to menu
Slide 11
Reptiles- one endemic reptile family but high species diversity
and endemism 96% of nearly 400 reptile species are endemic.
chameleon diversity- proposed that all the worlds' chameleons
originated here. endemic reptile in the Indian Ocean islands is the
Seychelles' Aldabra giant tortoise. it is considered threatened by
development, illegal trade, and natural disasters. Amphibians- 2
endemic families of amphibians: Sooglossidae, found in the
Seychelles Mantellidae, endemic to Madagascar and Mayotte. Among
the flagship amphibians are the beautiful frogs of the genera
Mantella and Scaphiophryne and the tomato frog, a bright red,
bullfrog-sized animal found only in a small corner of northeastern
Madagascar. Back to menu
Slide 12
Madagascar: 5,800 species, 86% are endemic Some examples:
terrestrial snails, dragonflies, tiger beetles, scarab beetles,
true butterflies,freshwater crayfish and freshwater shrimp.
Seychelles: estimated 5,100 species, 80% are endemic unique and
amazing invertebrate flagship species is the endemic giant
tenebrionid beetle, restricted to 1 small island in the Seychelles,
and one of the largest terrestrial invertebrates in the world.
largest millipede and populations of the world's largest
terrestrial invertebrate, the coconut or robber
Slide 13
Slide 14
Madagascar's signature endemic plant, the traveler's tree is
pollinated by the island's flagship vertebrate species, the lemurs.
Grandidier's baobab, the largest baobab species, is pollinated by
nocturnal lemurs. It is the most heavily exploited tree with the
fruit, seeds, wood and bark all being collected and used by local
people for making rope and medicines. The greatest threat to this
tree comes from the transformation of its habitat into agricultural
land but it is also threatened by fire, overgrazing and bark
collection. Other Malagasy species are pollinated by fruit-eating
bats.
Slide 15
1.Soil- is very moist, which allows many plants to grow and
prosper there. 2.Sunlight-lot of sunlight because of the large
quantities of tall trees. These trees absorb all of the sunlight,
which has caused the plants to adapt to this. 3.Rainfall- abundant
in the lowland rainforests, plants & animals adapted to it.
4.Climate- of a lowland rainforest is hot and humid. If the climate
gets any colder and dryer, many of the plants & animals would
not be able to survive.
Slide 16
Demands from todays global markets threaten the diversity
brought about by the isolation that the island of Madagascar has
experienced. Deforestation, unsustainable agriculture and erosion
fueled by human population growth all endanger the islands unique
habitats. The result: several species such as lemurs and chameleons
that evolved over millions of years may become extinct before the
end of the century.
Slide 17
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Biological_diversity_in_Madag
ascar_and_the_Indian_Ocean_Islands
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Biological_diversity_in_Madag
ascar_and_the_Indian_Ocean_Islands
http://www.conservation.org/WHERE/PRIORITY_AREAS/HOTSP
OTS/Pages/hotspots_main.aspx
http://www.conservation.org/WHERE/PRIORITY_AREAS/HOTSP
OTS/Pages/hotspots_main.aspx
http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/hotspots/index.ht
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