An ecosystem is a community of all organisms in a given area, and the physical environment which they interact with. On the land there are terrestrial ecosystems such as forests, grasslands or rain forests; and in the water there are freshwater and marine ecosystems such as lakes and, say, coral reef. The rain forest is an energetic ecosystem. This means that the rain forest vegetation grows quickly and when dead, decomposes extremely quickly. Rain forest biome is very complex. It includes a myriad of different species of plants and animals that are all adapted to rain, and lots of it. There are different levels of plants in the rain forests. The highest are the tall trees that often, particularly in tropical rain forests, form a closed canopy. On the next level are vines, orchids and epiphytes that grow high up in trees to reach more sunlight. Lower down are tree ferns and similar short trees, and next there is the forest floor - dark but far from lifeless. There are usually four layers in the rain forests. The next layer is the canopy. It is the thick layer that catches all the sunlight and leaves only 5% of light for the plants below. Consequently, the next layer - trees like tree ferns, and other shorter trees, are adapted to very little or no sunlight. Finally, the fourth layer the forest floor gets only 2% of sunlight and is not very crowded with plants. Animal life is also complex. Insects are deeming in what is very favorable conditions for them. Frogs and reptiles thrive. Bird life is noisy and colorful with many species of parrots and cockatoos. Since birds live mostly in the rain forest canopy, rain forest snakes are often tree snakes. Many mammals also live up in trees, whether they are herbivores or carnivore... ... middle of paper ... ...es these forests so dense, lush and rich on species. But, tropical rain forests typically get more rain than temperate ones. They grow in low pressure zone along the equator, while temperate rain forests typically grow on coastal mountains, where the mountain ranges bring high rainfall. The rain forest plays an important role in all our lives, and soon it will all come to an end that will affect us all in some way. So to save the rain forest something must be done fast before, the rain forest becomes nothing but a simple myth. Works Cited http://www.ran.org/ran/info_center/index.html http://www.davesite.com/rainforests/review1.shtml http://www.stevensonpress.com/intro.html http://www.ran.org/ran http://www.mtc.com.my/lib/formal/fact4/overview.htm Nichol, John. The Mighty Rainforest. The Netherlands: David and Charles Printing, 1990.
Depending on the biomes, rainfall and soil can vary. However, the rainfall is typically ranges from 30 cm to 200 cm. In mountainous regions and forest biomes, there would be plenty of rainfall. While in the grasslands, there’s little rainfall. In the temperate zone, there are two main types of trees, coniferous and deciduous. The deciduous trees, in the South, drop their leaves in the winter. Generally, the trees are usually small in height unless in the forest areas. The forests tend to have wide leaves and tall, large trees. The soil in deciduous forests is found to be very fertile. The different amount of rainfall in the forest areas and the grasslands cause the difference between the trees and plant height. The rainfall in forest regions can lead them to be very common with the rainforests. Furthermore, the changes and variation of weather could be the reason as to why the forests shed or don’t shed their leaves. The leaves show a correlation between the fair amount of sunlight during the summer causing the leaves
The temperate rain forest’s average temperature ranges from 4 to 12 degrees celsius(39 to 54 degrees fahrenheit). The temperate rain forest is somewhat the same from a tropical rain forest. They are both divided into layers. These layers consist of the understory, the canopy, and the emergent layer. This is for both biomes as well.
The two ecosystem that are very different but similar in some aspects are the woodlands ecosystem and the desert ecosystem. The woodlands have a very wet and cold atmosphere in comparison to the desert which feels dry and sticky. These temperatures is what determines the distinct offsprings that live in each ecosystems. According to my observations, the woodlands are home to ducks, fishes, squirrels, and birds that enjoy a more cool place as their home. In comparison to the desert, it is inhabited by eagles, frogs, bugs, and snakes that like to be in a open space territory with constant exposure to heat. The woodlands make one feel as if you are in two different places at once that have different weathers. Automatically in the woodlands, one
Tropical rainforest have lots of rain because it is very hot and wet due to its location along the equator. That means that there is more direct solar radiation hitting the land and sea there than anywhere else. They release moisture into the atmosphere which returns to the ground as rain. It rains more than ninety days a year in tropical rainforests and the strong sun usually shines between the storms. The water cycle repeats often along the equator. The main plants in this biome are trees. Tropical rainforests store water like a huge sponge. In fact, it’s believed that the Amazonian forests alone store over half of earth’s rainwater a lot of the rain that falls on the rain forest never reaches the ground. It stays within the trees because the leaves act as a shield, and some rain never gets past the trees to the smaller plants and grounds below. Surprisingly, soil in rainforests is very poor in nutrients. This is because the nutrients are stored in the vast numbers of trees and plants rather than in the soil. Tree roots bind the soil together, while the canopy protects the soil from heavy rains. W...
The ecosystem I have chosen is tropical rainforest. In the following paragraphs, I am going to firstly introduced the structure of tropical rainforest in brief, with the second part of the plant ecology and last the diversity within this ecosystem.
The following paper will explore two different biomes: Boreal Forest and the Tropical Rainforest. An examination of these two biomes will provide an understanding of how these biomes exists and the various types and forms of processes that acted on it and are acting on it both biologically and through abiotic factors.
The trees of Heiberg Forest vary greatly by area. One area could be heavily shaded by huge mature trees, with rich, cool and moist air. Another could be a much sunnier area, with younger trees and sapplings. Just a few steps can take you to a completely different atmosphere. There is a reason why certain areas are the way they are. Factors contributing to the trees of an area can range from land use history, soil quality, or human intervention. One leading component, perhaps the most important, is seed regeneration. The way a tree species disperses seeds to reproduce will affect its success in certain areas. Some trees disperse their seeds in a close range, some are carried by the wind, and others are carried by animals.
Forest biomes are the most complex ecologic systems in the world, and they cover 1/3 of the land on earth. There are three major types of forest biomes: tropical forests, temperate forests, and boreal forests. The average temperature in tropical forest is around 22° C the year; the temperature in temperate forests varies from -30° C to 30° C; the temperature in boreal forests is very low, there are long winters with average temperature below 0° C. Various trees, vegetation, insects, and mammals can be found in the forest biomes, hence it is easier to survive in tropical and temperate forest biomes.
Let us begin with our wonderful weather. We get about 14 inches of rain in the winter, and 18 inches of rain in the summer. In the winter, it’s a disaster. It’s already freezing in the winter, and you have to deal with the cold, heavy, rain on your already quavering body. Ok, back on track. In the deciduous forest, we also have mild summers that are so refreshing, it’s ineffable.
The Canopy Layer of the Temperate Rainforest is controlled by large evergreen conifers, which are trees that produce cones with seeds, some examples would be Costal redwood, Douglas Fir, and Sitka Spruce.
Tropical rainforests are an extremely unique and diverse ecosystem that are located around the earth’s equator. They once covered roughly 7% of the world, but due to human encroachment that has dwindled to just 2%. It is a highly moisture rich environment that typically receives anywhere between 60 and 400 inches of rainfall annually and average humidity ranges from 70 to 90%. A high average year round temperature, coupled with the moisture rich environment, creates an ecosystem that allows for a level of biodiversity seen nowhere else on the planet. This also results in a specific type of layering design that allows the system to survive and recycle its nutrients.
Plants in a Temperate Forest can survive because rain falls all year long. They can also survive because when the leaves drop from the deciduous trees, it enriches the soil with nutrients, allowing the trees to continue to grow. Because of this, the enriched soil the plants and trees have deep roots. The plants have broad-leaves to catch and store sunlight. They store sunlight not only because they need it to do cellular respiration at night but also because in a Temperate Forest the winters are cold. These types of trees are mostly found in North America, Asia, and Europe. They can also be found in Australia and South America
Rainforests once covered 14% of the worlds land surface, however now it only covers a mere 6%. It is estimated that all rainforests could be consumed in less than 40 years. Trees are becoming more needed and used everyday. We need them cut down for many reasons such as paper and timber, while also needing them ‘untouched’ for other reasons like oxygen, we have to ask ourselves, which is more important? At the current rate, most of the rainforests are being cut down for resources like paper and timber, but less importance is being placed on main resources like oxygen.
The branch of science that deals with how living things, including humans, are related to their surroundings is called ecology . The Earth supports some 5 million species of plants, animals, and microorganisms. These interact and influence their surroundings, forming a vast network of interrelated environmental systems called ecosystems. The arctic tundra is an ecosystem and so is a Brazilian rain forest. The islands of Hawaii are a relatively isolated ecosystem. If left undisturbed, natural environmental systems tend to achieve balance or stability among the various species of plants and animals. Complex ecosystems are able to compensate for changes caused by weather or intrusions from migrating animals and are therefore usually said to be more stable than simple ecosystems. A field of corn has only one dominant species, the corn plant, and is a very simple ecosystem. It is easily destroyed by drought, insects, disease, or overuse. A forest may remain relatively unchanged by weather that would destroy a nearby field of corn, because the forest is characterized by greater diversity of plants and animals. Its complexity gives it stability.
What is a tropical rain forest? A tropical rainforest is an ecosystem that is anywhere near the equator. These areas are located between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. A tropical rainforests experience high average temperatures and high amounts of rain fall. Tropical rainforests are divided into three parts. The uppermost part is the canopy. This is the layer with the tallest tress. Trees in this climate can reach up to 240 feet (blueplanetbiomes.com). The next layer is the lower canopy. This layer is made up of the smaller tress. The last layer is the forest floor. This is made up of all the plants and bushes. You can find tropical rainforests in many parts of the world like Asia, Australia, Africa, South America, Central America, Mexico and also on the Pacific, Caribbean, and Indian Ocean islands.