Why is Ecuador such a Diversity Hotspot?
Ecuador is roughly the same size as Colorado, yet it is one of the most bio-diverse countries on the planet and hosts a whopping 1,632 species of birds, making it 2nd in the world for bird species. But why is it so diverse?
Several factors contribute to Ecuador’s incredible avian diversity. So let’s get into them!
1. As its name implies, Ecuador is found along the equator, which means it is tropical and tropical zones across the globe are jam-packed with species.
2. Tropical climates host more than two-thirds of global diversity because they generally have mild fluctuations in temperature, even at higher elevations. For example, Papallacta Pass in the Ecuadorian highlands is located at 13,500 ft and has a bird list of over 200 species. If you don’t believe me, click the link to check out the Papallacta Pass eBird Hotspot. If you compare that with a hotspot in temperate California, such as Mt. Baldy Summit in Los Angeles, California, which is 10,500ft, there are only 54 species reported here.
Below are some of the high-elevation species found in Ecuador
3. The next thing that makes Ecuador so diverse is the massive mountain range that divides the country. The Andes Mountains began uplifting some 20-30 million years ago, and before that time, most of Ecuador was a relatively flat tropical swampy grassland. The Andes have divided the country, with the Pacific to the West and the Amazon to the East.
This separation, known as Allopatric Speciation, has isolated populations, splitting them into distinct groups unable to mix, and over time, they became so distinct that they have diverged into separate species.
Below you can see one example of two very similar species the White-booted and Peruvian Racket-tail.
4. The diversity story of the Andes doesn’t stop there. The Andes are topographically and ecologically complex, comprised of dense vegetation, steep slopes, expansive inter-Andean valleys, and noticeable climatic differences that change every few hundred meters either up or down.
Just like the Andes mountains prevented populations of birds from mixing, the above factors have also led to separation and, over time, produced the same outcome, more species. One of the most obvious of these factors is the inter-Andean valleys. Below you can see how these massive valleys have created separation between populations and drove speciation.
Here you can see that within the Andes Mountain range are ridges or cordilleras, and on each side of the cordilleras lie valleys.
5. The last thing I will talk about, is the stable temperature. Unlike North America, where we have dramatic changes in seasons and birds are forced to migrate to Southern latitudes to avoid the freezing chill of winter, these same pressures are not present in Ecuador and the tropics in general. There is a distinct rainy and dry season, but the temperature fluctuations at lower elevations are not so dramatic as to force birds to migrate.
This narrower range of temperature fluctuations means birds don’t have to spend time migrating, instead, they have spent more time specializing and focusing on ways to survive. For example, in the tropics, 20% of all bird species are flycatchers, and the reason for that is there are so many different types of insects and invertebrates that flycatchers have evolved to exploit ecological niches.
To learn more about Ecuador’s incredible avian diversity, join me in July 2024 for an incredible 9-day 8-night tour exploring the best of NW Ecuador!
Click the image below to check out the tour!
