Ecosystems of Ecuador – A Transect from the Galápagos to the Amazon
BiologyEcology & EnvironmentAges 17–18
Use it with your class: students open it from a link or a QR code, with no account needed.
Next in Ecology & Environment
Move along a transect across Ecuador, from the Galápagos and the Pacific coast over the Andes to the Amazon, and read the altitude, mean temperature and rainfall. Each ecosystem lists native and endemic species and the threats it faces, and a map explains Ecuador's megadiversity through latitude, the Andes and ocean currents.
Lesson: Ecosystems and biodiversity of Ecuador: altitude zones, megadiversity, endemic species and conservation
What it shows
Ecuador is small, yet it holds ecosystems from mangroves at sea level to glaciers above 6,000 m. You travel west to east along a schematic transect: the Galápagos, the Pacific, the dry coast, the cloud forest and páramo of the Andes, an inter-Andean valley and the Amazon rainforest. Readings of altitude, temperature and rainfall show how climate changes with height, and each ecosystem lists typical native and endemic species and the main threats. The map links the country's megadiversity to the equator, the Andes and two ocean currents. Climate values are rounded or estimated.
How to use
Drag along the transect, move Position on the transect, or choose an Ecosystem; the cards and tiles update. Press Record reading at several places to fill the table and the graph of temperature against altitude. On Megadiversity map, choose Species richness, Latitude, Andes or Ocean currents under Explain.
Parameters you can change
- View Transect, Megadiversity map
- Position on the transect 0–100 %
- Explain Species richness, Latitude, Andes, Ocean currents
Questions to explore
- How much does the mean temperature fall for every 1,000 m you climb, and which ecosystems does that cooling create?
- Why is the south-west coast of Ecuador dry while the eastern Andean slopes are so wet?
- Which threat do the mangroves, the cloud forest and the Amazon rainforest have in common?
