Akasha Ross

Ms. Elman
IB Environmental Science
October 14 2016
Santa Cruz Island Reflection
Visiting Santa Cruz island allowed me to observe many relationships within the the
islands ecosystem. The species and organisms that inhabit this area depend on one another to
survive. Santa Cruz island has an environment that is unique to many other areas. This isolated
region has many plants and animals that are specific to this ecosystem. Being able to visit the
island and listen to the naturalists helped to create an understanding of the processes and systems
that take place on Santa Cruz Island.
After researching and learning from different naturalists, I realized that Santa Cruz island
is a very isolated from surrounding environments. Since the island is secluded from other regions
it is subject to extreme changes when elements of the ecosystem are altered. When invasive
species were transferred to Santa Cruz island during the colonial period, this affected the activity
of the native species. For example, the naturalists highlighted that fennel is an invasive species
that has inhabited this area. It is assumed that this plant was transported to the island by the
Europeans during the time of colonization in the Americas. Invasive species have the ability to
take over important wildlife habitat, devastating shelter and forage while reducing the diversity
and quality of native habitat (United States. National Park Service. "Terrestrial Invasive Plants."
National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2016.). Fennel is
overpopulating the region and enabling the growth of other native species. Invasive species are a

threat to the ecosystem because these plants disturb the balance of the ecosystem. Since the
island is isolated from other regions, minute disturbances, such as an invasive species, could
create a catalyst for more detrimental events.
When visiting the island I observed that the area was immensely populated by different
plants and animal species. Santa Cruz Island is a region that is populated by a vast body of
different species and organisms. Many of the island inhabitants are considered to be endemic
species. Therefore, these plants and animals live only in this specific geographical region. The
island provides a unique environment that allows certain species to prosper. For example, the
island scrub jay is found only on Santa Cruz Island. The island supplies the necessary means to
allow the scrub jay to thrive in this environment. The island provides the bird with various trees,
such as scrub oak, that are utilized to create habitats for the species. Each ecosystem has specific
organisms and species that help maintain balance in the environment.
As soon as we arrived on the island a small island fox approached our group. This is a
species that is also native to the region. The island fox can only be found on the channel islands,
the species only lives on six of the eight Channel Islands off the coast of southern
California--they are found nowhere else on Earth (United States. National Park Service. "Island
Fox." National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2016). This
animal is also considered to be an endemic species. Researches have identified that each fox
population is unique to the specific island. Some people say that the Channel Islands can be
compared to the Galapagos islands. The variation of foxes corresponds to the differences
between the species found at the Galapagos. An example of this, are tortoises that were found in
the Galapagos islands. Each tortoise diversified according to the specific island that it inhabited.

Every island was subject to a variety of different climates and wildlife. The tortoises evolved in a
way that allowed them to successfully thrive in their specific environment. The variance in
animal species in the Galapagos islands can be compared to diversity in the Channel Islands.
Variation within different species is likely to happen on islands because animals and plants must
adapt to the diverse climates and habitats of each region.
The naturalist also pointed out that certain plants and animal species have certain skill
sets that help them to survive in the environment. Due to the lack of rainfall over the past years
in California, many of the plants have had to develop a way to conserve energy and water
supply. Various oak trees on the island have engineered a way to conserve their resources. The
trees are able to rotate their leaves when there is more precipitation in the air. By turning their
leaves they are able to receive more water when it rains. The leaves also rotate in order to
conserve energy. During photosynthesis the tree uses a lot of its own energy and water supply
that it stores. Therefore to conserve energy, the leaves turn away from the sun when it is not
necessary for the tree does not need to photosynthesize. If the tree has enough water and energy
to maintain itself it does not need to produce more energy through photosynthesis. When the tree
reaches low energy levels, the leaves will rotate in order to receive sunlight. Different plant and
animal species on Santa Cruz island are able to manipulate and utilize the resources in their
environment in order to survive.
After researching in class and learning from the naturalists I was able to come to the
conclusion that the species in an ecosystem depend on one another to survive. This island is
inhabited by many unique species. Santa Cruz island is an area that provides various habitats for
many animals and plants.