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Animal Bytes: Island

What is an island ecosystem?

Islands are found in almost every part of the world, so you can find many types of habitats on islands: rain forest, temperate forest, tundra, and desert. But what all island ecosystems have in common is that they are isolated from the mainland, and they create special, even unique, environments with species of animals and plants that may be very different from their counterparts on the mainland. In fact, some species are only found on islands because they developed separately, like the kiwi Apteryx sp. of New Zealand and the Galàpagos tortoise Geochelone nigra of the Galàpagos Islands.

Fragile and unique

Because they are limited in size and resources, island ecosystems are fragile and easily disturbed by introduced species and human activity. Island animals can quickly become endangered if their habitat is destroyed or what they eat disappears, because they have nowhere else to go.

Blog post: Island Conservation