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Ecosystem Food Chain Article
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The Rainforest Ecosystem
from:The rainforest ecosystem covers the flora, fauna and ground conditions with in the parameters of a rainforest. From the climatic conditions to the members and relationships in the food chain, the rainforest ecosystem is dependant on the major resources available. In the rainforest ecosystem the proportion of flora, including the varieties of trees, grasses, fungi and flowers will affect the way in which fauna exist.
The fauna in a rainforest ecosystem will include the minute and the massive. The rainforest ecosystem offers shelter and living conditions to insects, birds, arachnids and mammals, from the tiny bush mouse to the largest primate or predator.
In the rainforest ecosystem the smallest creatures and plants are still important to the structure of the environment. From the smallest gnat to the largest predator, the relationship between the food chain is vital to the balance of the ecosystem. In the way that grass feeds cattle so too do smaller creatures become food for larger. Even the plants of the rainforest will become fodder for larger herbivores or small creatures.
The rainforest ecosystem is balanced by the resources available. The number of trees, fungi, grass or flowers will be, maintained by the number of animals or insects using them for their lifestyle or food sources. If the number of predators in the rainforest ecosystem should alter, then the food chain would be unbalanced right down to the fundamental level. Even a slight alteration in the rainforest ecosystem, due to floods or drought or human intervention, can lead to the destruction of the rainforest ecosystem itself.
The rainforest ecosystem is reliant on the balance being maintained, between growth and decay. While rotting timber and mulch can offer sustenance to some creatures, the death of a plant is still part of the rainforest ecosystem. The mulch provides the ideal place for germination of other seeds. All this is part of the balance of the rainforest ecosystem.
The rainforest ecosystem includes the life cycle of the larger animals too. Their living, reproducing, hunting and dying all effect the way the rainforest ecosystem achieves balance. Any variation to the numbers of creatures within the rainforest ecosystem could change the fragile balance drastically. Too few predators could mean an over production of smaller herbivores. This would lead to a loss of plant life within the rainforest ecosystem. Once the balance is lost, it can be impossible to regain.
The delicate balance of the rainforest ecosystem is vital to the health and vitality of the rainforest itself. From climate conditions, water quality and quantity, to human intervention, or exploitation, the rainforest ecosystem is prone to influences that can alter it forever.
Ecosystem Food Chain Specific links
Ecosystem Food Chain News
Marine food chain becomes clearer with new revelations about prey distribution
( Oregon State University ) A new study has found that each step of the marine food chain is clearly controlled by the trophic level below it -- and the driving factor influencing that relationship is not the abundance of prey, but how that prey is distributed.
Read more...Prey Distribution, Not Biomass, Key To Marine Food Chain
A new study has found that each step of the marine food chain is clearly controlled by the trophic level below it – and the driving factor influencing that relationship is not the abundance of prey, but how that prey is distributed. The importance of the spatial pattern of resources – sometimes called “patchiness” – is gaining new appreciation from ecologists, who are finding the overall ...
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