1.) In 175 – 250 words, choose and discuss a biodiversity hotspot. Describe how large it is, what types of species are located there, what the geography of the hotspot is like and what are threats to the native populations of species.

2.) Build a system diagram of the history of threats to this specific biodiversity hotspot.

3.) Explain what you put in your system diagram in 100-150 words.

I chose the Polynesia-Micronesia biodiversity hotspot which contains more than 4,500 islands covering 46,315 square kilometers of land (“Polynesia-Micronesia Biodiversity Hotspot”). Its marine coverage is 2.6 times larger than the continental US and comprises Micronesia, Polynesia, and Fiji (“Polynesia-Micronesia Biodiversity Hotspot”). The geography of this region consists of rocky islets, low-lying coral atolls, uplifted limestone islands, and volcanic islands (McGinley). There are a little less than 7,000 native species in this hotspot (McGinley). The primary species in this hotspot are plants, birds, mammals, reptiles, snails, amphibians and freshwater fish. This hotspot is one of the most endangered in the world because of human disturbances. The introduction of invasive species and habitat loss due to humans using the land for agriculture are the two major threats to this area. Natural events such as hurricanes and earthquakes are also threats to natural island biodiversity. Birds and reptiles are the most at risk for extinction. Pacific island species are very vulnerable to invasive species because they evolved in the absence of mammalian predators and mainland diseases (McGinley). The introduction of plant and animal species from other regions have slowly overtaken the native species in the past thousand years. For example, there are more alien than endemic species of plants in Hawaii (McGinley).

For the system diagram, I started with the introduction of humans to the region by migration. They were the catalysts for the threats to the Polynesia-Micronesia hotspot. Most came from Southeast Asia and did three main activities. They converted land on islands for agricultural purposes, they brought animals and plants, and they hunted the native species. The extravagant land conversion and overharvesting led to the mitigation of natural vegetation through habitat loss. The humans introduced invasive plant and animal species that became predatory of endemic animals and plants. They hunted native birds and reptiles to extinction. All of these actions ultimately resulted in the Polynesia-Micronesia Hotspot losing more species than any other region. Today, there are now 365 protected areas in the Pacific region to prevent any further extinction of native species.

McGinley, Mark. “Biological Diversity in Polynesia-Micronesia.” The Encyclopedia of Earth. N.p., 1 Dec. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.

“Polynesia-Micronesia Biodiversity Hotspot.” Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund. Conservation International-Melanesia Center for Biodiversity Conservation, May 2007. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.