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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.
Tropical Ecosystem Specific links
Tropical Ecosystem News
Tracking Endangered Elephants With Satellite Technology - Science Daily (press release)
Tracking Endangered Elephants With Satellite Technology Science Daily (press release) Dr Campos-Arceiz said: "If we lose the elephants we lose a unique element of tropical ecosystems. When elephants walk they trample the soil and impact the forest in a way that no other animal does. When elephants eat, they modify the structure of ... |
Global Study: Seagrasses Can Store More Carbon Than Forests - University of Virginia
 ZME Science | Global Study: Seagrasses Can Store More Carbon Than Forests University of Virginia ... per unit area, seagrass meadows can store up to twice as much carbon as the world's temperate and tropical forests. The paper, "Seagrass Ecosystems as a Globally Significant Carbon Stock," is the first global analysis of carbon stored in seagrasses ... Seagrasses Can Store as Much Carbon as Forests Seagrass on ocean coasts can store twice as much carbon as tropical ... Seagrasses Store as Much Carbon as Forests |
Seagrasses can store twice as much carbon as forests - Times of India
 Responding to Climate Change | Seagrasses can store twice as much carbon as forests Times of India Per unit area, seagrass meadows can store up to twice as much carbon as the world's temperate and tropical forests, said researchers. The study is the first global analysis of carbon stored in seagrasses and the results demonstrated that coastal ... Seagrasses can store as much carbon as forests |
Hacking code of leaf vein architecture solves mysteries, allows predictions of ... - Phys.Org
Hacking code of leaf vein architecture solves mysteries, allows predictions of ... Phys.Org The highly organized minor vein network in a leaf of a tropical forest tree, Ampelocera ruizii. UCLA research shows how the scaling of vein systems across flowering plants arises from a general developmental algorithm and explains global ecological ... |
Lamasur Trout Farm Certified Sustainable - FIS
 FIS | Lamasur Trout Farm Certified Sustainable FIS Tropical Aquaculture's Rainbow Trout farm, Lamasur, was certified sustainable by the Institute for Marketecology (IMO) late last month. Located in Bajo Mono, in the town of Boquete, Chiriquí, Panama, Lamasur is a vertically integrated company that has ... |