science

List of animals of the Marquesas Islands

List of animals of the Marquesas Islands is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand List of animals of the Marquesas Islands rather than just read about it. In short: The Marquesas Islands have a diverse aquatic zoology, and a rather limited endemic terrestrial zoology. Ocean fauna Unlike most of the warm-water islands of the South Pacific, the Marquesas are not protected by coral reefs, and therefore do not have the wide array of reef denizens found in neighboring archipelagos such as the Tuamotus and Society Islands.

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Reference excerpt

The Marquesas Islands have a diverse aquatic zoology, and a rather limited endemic terrestrial zoology.

Ocean fauna Unlike most of the warm-water islands of the South Pacific, the Marquesas are not protected by coral reefs, and therefore do not have the wide array of reef denizens found in neighboring archipelagos such as the Tuamotus and Society Islands. The one exception to this is the island of Motu One in the extreme north of the group, which is a small atoll, and the only low island in the Marquesas. Aside from Motu One, coral growths are found in several protected bays, especially on the northern and western sides of several of the islands, especially on Nuku Hiva. Sharks are common in the offshore waters.

Seabirds Nineteen species of seabirds breed in the Marquesas, and a number of other species visit the islands, including:

Land fauna This should be considered in two separate groups – endemic species and introduced species – as follows:

Endemic species The endemic fauna of the Marquesas has been extensively affected by human activity as well as by the introduction of domestic and pest species. Owing to their remoteness from continental landmasses (while they are not the most isolated islands in the world, they are the most distant from any continent), the Marquesas exhibit a paucity of endemic terrestrial species. This is limited to birds, arthropods (including 16 species of fruit fly, moths, butterflies, arachnids, etc.).

Among the 11 resident terrestrial bird species, the endemics are:

Ultramarine lorikeet (Vini ultramarina) Marquesas kingfisher (Halcyon godeffroyi) Several subspecies of the Marquesan reed-warbler (Acrocephalus mendanae), including the long-billed Polynesian warbler (A. m. postremus) Upe (Marquesan imperial pigeon, Ducula galeata) White-capped fruit dove (Ptilinopus dupetithouarsii) Marquesan swiftlet (Aerodramus ocistus) Marquesas ground dove (Gallicolumba rubescens) Several Pomarea monarchs The negative impact of introduced species on the endemic avifauna is seen through the extinction of the red-moustached fruit dove (Ptilinopus mercierii), as well as in the drastic decline of such species as D. galeata, of which only a few hundred specimens remain on Nuku Hiva, and several dozen specimens reintroduced to Ua Huka. Once common throughout the archipelago, the ultramarine lory is now found only on Ua Huka, and as a result of a reintroduction effort, is again found on Fatu Hiva. Various other species which are either threatened or endangered endemic are the Marquesas ground-dove, Marquesas kingfisher, Fatu Hiva monarch (Pomarea whitneyi), Iphis monarch (Pomarea iphis, found only on Ua Huka), and Marquesas monarch (Pomarea mendozae). Extinct rails belonging to Gallirallus including the Tahuata rail, Ua Huka rail, Nuku Hiva rail and an indeterminate species from Hiva Oa are known from archaeological sites. Among the endemic insects, the adaptive radiation of the gelechioid moth genus Asymphorodes is remarkable, with most of its 80 or so species known only from the Marquesas. Other Marquesan endemic moths include the strange Clarkeophlebia argentea, the enigmatic Marasmianympha eupselias, and Tessema sensilis which is apparently quite common but almost completely unstudied. Another unique endemic insect is the islands' sole praying mantis species, Tropidomantis kawaharai, which is a member of a genus found largely in Asia, about tens of thousands of miles away.

Introduced species The early seafaring Polynesians brought dogs, junglefowl, and pigs with them to the islands, and, as stowaways, the now-widespread Polynesian rat and several species of geckos, skinks and snails. Later, Europeans introduced other species. In 1842, Admiral Abel Aubert du Petit-Thouars brought horses to the island from Chile. Other Europeans brought goats, sheep, and cattle, and, as stowaways, several insect species, (including mosquitos, and sandflies on Fatu Hiva), and scorpions. The common myna and great horned owl have been intentionally introduced onto Hiva Oa. The black rat (Rattus rattus) has been introduced to all the islands; in some cases this has had a drastic negative impact on populations of native bird species.

References

External links https://web.archive.org/web/20060927144136/http://biology.usgs.gov/s%2Bt/SNT/noframe/pi179.htm http://www.birdquest.co.uk/frameset.cfm?bTours=0 "Marquesas tropical moist forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund. Birds of the Marquesas

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with List of animals of the Marquesas Islands

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what List of animals of the Marquesas Islands claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to List of animals of the Marquesas Islands before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about List of animals of the Marquesas Islands ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of List of animals of the Marquesas Islands

In research: List of animals of the Marquesas Islands appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses List of animals of the Marquesas Islands in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: List of animals of the Marquesas Islands is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Fauna of the Marquesas Islands, Lists of animals by location, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for List of animals of the Marquesas Islands outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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Frequently asked questions

What is List of animals of the Marquesas Islands in simple terms?

The Marquesas Islands have a diverse aquatic zoology, and a rather limited endemic terrestrial zoology. Ocean fauna Unlike most of the warm-water islands of the South Pacific, the Marquesas are not protected by coral reefs, and therefore do not have the wide array of reef denizens found in neighbor…

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Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

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Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

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