The Carbon Cycle in a Tropical Rainforest

Tropical rainforests are presumed to be the oldest ecosystems that account for diverse plants as well as animals. The ecosystems are located around the equator in places that have not only high temperatures but receive substantial inches of rain every year. According to Simon L. Lewis (2006), a tropical rainforest is one that occurs in tropical areas that contain heavy rainfall. The ecosystems cover ca 10% of the earth’s surface and they are home to approximately 50% of the life forms on earth (Lewis, 2006), which is a provision that makes them the most productive and complicated ecosystems. This type of ecosystem is located in Indo-Malaysia, Africa, as well as South and Central America. The ecosystem has an ideal condition that supports vegetation growth. The wide range of vegetation supports the existence of a variety of animals, birds, as well as insects. The fundamentals of the carbon cycle in a tropical rainforest lie in the different plants that are available in the ecosystem. The basis of the carbon cycle lies in the period during which the plants undergo photosynthesis, during which they absorb the carbon dioxide existing in the atmosphere. According to Lewis (2006), plants are considered as the fundamental constituent of the tropical rainforest biome. When the plants respire, die, or burn carbon, the component is released back into the environment. In this light, the carbon is released and stored in the ground as sediments that exist underneath the beds of water bodies. The sediments then become fossil fuels after numerous years if individuals harvest the rainforest grounds. Animals can also absorb the carbon released by the plants when they eat the plant remains. In this process, the carbon is transferred from the animals to primary consumers of the plant as well as other secondary and tertiary consumers. Examples of primary consumers are inclusive of monkeys, secondary consumers include animals such as iguanas, and tertiary consumers include animals such as jaguars. One of the human factors that cause a disturbance to the tropical rainforest ecosystem is based on the need for agricultural space, energy, and as well as development space. This disturbance is caused by the growth of the human population. Tropical rainforests cover a significant amount of the tree surface in the world. However, humans interfere with the tree surface through deforestation, which is a provision that worries environmentalists based on the idea that the process releases carbon from the machinery being used and the vegetation (Lewis, 2006). For this reason, it is possible to consider that deforestation is likely to transform the climate of the ecosystem and accelerate the effects that emanate from global warming. Since tropical rainforests harbor a significant amount of the biodiversity in the world, massive deforestation is likely to cause the loss of numerous animal and plant species in a particular biome in a single day. On the other hand, the lumber, mining, and agricultural industries affect tropical rainforests. The industries require significant portions of the forest to be cleared to ensure that the activities that institutions in the particular industries can take place. For instance, in mining, a large portion of the tropical rainforest has to be cleared, including the seclusion of different parts to ensure that roads can access the minefields. This activity significantly affects the diversity in the particular area due to pollution as well as the loud construction noises in the region. On the other hand, the lumber and construction industries significantly affect the ecosystem. In this case, the industries affect the social fertility of the ecosystem because the fertility of the cleared forests can last for only a few years before being cleared (Lewis, 2006). Farmers have to clear a huge tract of forest each year to ensure that the needs of customers demanding agricultural products are met. Tropical rainforests are also subject to non-human disturbances that are inclusive of storms, winds, fires, flooding, and alterations in rainfall. Even though there might not be a variation in the natural conditions, the population of the different species in this ecosystem might fluctuate over a given period. For instance, the booms and the bust of the insect population in this ecosystem are known, including the high variability of the lizard population (Lewis, 2006). In spite of this provision, the composition of undisturbed forests can remain the same based on the continual flux of abundant species. For instance, the species composition in Peninsular Malaysia tended to have little variations in different hectare plots of rainforest (Lewis, 2006). In such a place, extinctions are rare. Since controlling the non-human disturbances to this ecosystem is difficult, it is possible to consider implementing human-based conservation efforts. For instance, different organizations can work on implementing measures for protecting the ecosystem, including the need for advancing the rights of the indigenous people living in these places. On the other hand, it would be vital for the organization to work on guiding land-intensive industries to work toward sustainability. In this regard, the organization can work on educating an age-diverse population regarding the importance of conserving tropical rainforests. This could be achieved by the development of guidance and facilities that can implement coordinated efforts for improving the effectiveness and credibility of the conservation of the ecosystem. The guidance and facilities should focus on the protection of the diversity existing in tropical rainforests.

Reference

Lewis, S. L. (2006). Tropical forests and the changing earth system. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences ,  361 (1465), 195–210. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2005.1711