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Why are Hawaii's Reefs Unique?
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GEOGRAPHIC ISOLATION...Hawaii is the most isolated island chain in the world!
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- located between 19 and 22 degrees north latitude in the middle of the Pacific Ocean
- 2,400 miles (3,900 km) from west coast of North America; 3,800 miles (6,100 km) from Japan
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| COLONIZATION |
- due to the vast distance to overcome and challenging conditions for survival, many species common to reefs around the world never became established in Hawaii, or are very rare...this resulted in open ecological niches
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EVOLUTION & ENDEMISM
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- over time, the successful colonizing species radiated into the open niches, forming species unique to the Hawaiian islands. These unique species are called "endemic."
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- Hawaii has the highest percentages of endemic species found anywhere in the world! 32% of marine invertebrates (sponges, jellyfish, worms, corals) are endemic, and 25% of reef fishes are endemic.
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- Hawaii's marine life is so distinct from the rest of the Indo-Pacific ocean that scientists treat the islands as a separate ecoregion.
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| sources: |
- Juvik, S.F. and J.O. Juvik. 1998. Atlas of Hawai'i, 3rd ed. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. 333 pp.
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- Gulko, D. 1998. Hawaiian coral reef ecology. Honolulu: Mutual Publishing. 245 pp.
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- Clark, A. M. and D. Gulko. 1999. Hawaii's state of the reefs report, 1998. Honolulu: Department of Land and Natural Resources. 41 pp.
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| Online Resources to Explore |
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