Describe where this type of ecosystem might be located. Name 1 specific example.
A tropical rainforest is located near the equator which allows direct sunlight into the habitats in the ecosystem. Tropical rainforest experience high rainfall which can be averaged to 125 and 660 cm annually. Due to the direct sunlight rainforest have high temperatures of between 20ºC and 34ºC. A combination of this and rainfall creates a humid environment with a great diversity of animals and plants (Linsenmair, K. E., & European Science Foundation, 2001). It is common in Africa, Central and South America and Indo- Malaysia as areas which barely have a dry or cold season a good example is the Amazon River basin tropical rain forest.
Describe nutrient cycling of carbon (i.e., the steps of the carbon cycle) using examples of living things specific to the ecosystem you have chosen.
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The rainforest ecosystems have large quantities of carbon absorbed from the atmosphere and retained for storage as they have more leaf area in the plant vegetation. More is also trapped in the soil which inhabited by organisms such as fungi, microorganisms and roots which produce carbon. Carbon cycle transforms carbon from organic used by plants and animals and back to inorganic carbon found in the atmosphere (Bruenig, 2017). The high number of carbon atoms in the rainforests help organic molecules to produce carbohydrates, lipids proteins and nucleic acids (Linsenmair, K. E., & European Science Foundation, 2001). The cycle takes place in photosynthesis producing nutrients for plants. In decomposition, both plants which decompose in the form of leaf litters, debris made of leaf and wood and animals in their organic matter put carbon in the soil which is digested by soil microorganism a process which produces inorganic carbon.
Describe 1 natural and 1 human-caused disturbance to the ecosystem that you have chosen, and explain the damage done to the ecosystem .
Natural disturbances in the rainforests can be either minor or major. Major natural disturbances include river movements, volcanic eruptions or hurricanes which wreck the rainforests affecting their climatic conditions. Minor disturbances include falling of a tree or lack of enough space for root expansion (Bruenig, 2017). A tree fall creates a gap in the forest which affects the amount of sunlight which penetrates to the ecosystem, and lack of space has caused species to go extinct (Linsenmair, K. E., & European Science Foundation, 2001). Human activates like poaching or extraction of barks, roots and leaves destroy the carbon cycle which sustains the rainforest. Human settlements have led to the eradication of rainforests as they interrupt the climate conditions by clearing trees to make room for human settlements.
Provide a specific example of 1 natural resource provided by the ecosystem that you have selected. (Note that air, water, and soil are common to all ecosystems.)
Tropical rainforests due to their conducive environment of high rainfall and temperature are very productive. The primary resource produced are a wide variety of fruits and indigenous plantations. Fruit varieties such as mangos, papayas, avocado, macadamia nuts, sugarcane, and bananas are traced to originate from the tropical rain forests (Tscharntke, 2010). Natural resources available in the rainforests include deposits of metals such as gold and silver. Fossil fuels including oil and natural gases have also been discovered. For example, the Atewa rainforest in Ghana has experience exploitation of its natural deposits of bauxite (Maloney, 2013).
How can the one resource you have described be sustained into the future?
Extraction of natural resources such as oil and natural gases is destructive to the ecosystem as mining requires removal of vegetation as the resources cannot be extracted using the low impact method. Sustainability can be achieved through the action of the government to ensure that mining takes place in an environmentally friendly manner (Tscharntke, 2010). Activities that restore vegetation include agro forestation and reforestation. Sustainability of natural resources is achieved through proper utilization and maintenance of the rain forests.
How can humans act as good stewards to assist the recovery of the ecosystem you have chosen after a disturbance? Provide 1 example specific to the ecosystem that you have chosen.
Human impact profoundly affects the rain forests through their activities such as logging of trees for wood and timber, use of machinery which burn fuels and pollutes the environment killing off animals and plants. However, the human can act as good stewards and assist in the recovery of the ecosystem by reducing fuel usage such as minimal use of cars and machinery which emits pollutants to the environment (Tscharntke, 2010). Efforts to rehabilitate can be achieved through the planting of trees and reduction of human activities such as lumbering and settlements. Efforts to eliminate human activities such as poaching, extraction of trees parts for medicinal purposes such as barks, leaves, and roots (Maloney, 2013).
References
Bruenig, E. (2017). Conservation and management of tropical rainforests: An integrated approach to sustainability . CABI Publishing.
Linsenmair, K. E., & European Science Foundation Conference on Tropical Forest Canopies. (2001). Tropical forest canopies: Ecology and management: proceedings of the ESF Conference, Oxford University, 12-16 December 1998 . Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Maloney B.K. (2013). Human Activities and the Tropical Rainforest: Past, Present and Possible Future . Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands.
Tscharntke, T. (2010). Tropical rainforests and agro forests under global change: Ecological and socio-economic valuations . Heidelberg: Springer.
