Tropical Forest By: Nathan Cone

Introduction I selected the tropical forest as my biome mainly because of its great biodiversity. I think that the great number of plant and animal species in tropical forests will make this biome interesting.

General Climate Entebbe, a major city with a tropical rainforest climate, is located in Uganda, Africa, on the northern shores of Lake Victoria. Entebbe has a population of about 79,700 and has many tourist attractions. Entebbe has a tropical rainforest climate. The average yearly high temperature is 78.1°F. The average yearly low temperature is 63.5°F. The average yearly rainfall is 59.33 inches.

Part 1: Ecosystems and Change The city of Entebbe, Uganda has a very diverse ecosystem. It maintains a tropical rainforest climate throughout the year, with slight differences in temperature and precipitation.

Secondary Succession in a Tropical Rainforest Biome

Damaging Event Were there to be a sudden increase in deforestation, and Entebbe’s trees and plants were all cut down or destroyed, the ecosystem would be destroyed. With all the plants gone, herbivores would disappear, leading to carnivores disappearing, and the whole ecosystem falling apart. This would, however, clear the area of all living things, and therefore leave room for pioneer species to begin secondary succession.

Pioneer Species Two Pioneer Species that would grow after a fire are grasses, such as blue grass (poa pratensis), and small flowers, such as daisies (Bellis perennis).

Intermediate Species Intermediate species in a tropical forest can be shrubs, such as Jamaican Poinsettia (Euphorbia Punicea). The Jamaican Poinsettia has long green leaves, with reddish-pink flowers.

Climax Community In a tropical forest climax community, there will be a complete ecosystem, and great biodiversity. In a climax tropical forest community, there will be the presence of fungi, decomposers, and ground animals, such as gorillas, deer, snails, and bugs. There will also be trees, such as maple, oak, elm, and various evergreens. Lastly, there will be an emergent layer of very tall trees, such as redwood or similar.

Part 2: Energy Flow in Ecosystems In a tropical forest, there are many ecosystems. This means that there is great energy flow in tropical forests.

Food Web of a Tropical Forest Sun Mangrove Bengal Bamboo Two- Toed Sloth Sumatran Rhinoceros Strangler Figs Jambu Fruit Dove King Cobra Bengal Tiger Palm Civet Harpy Eagle

Trophic Pyramid Jambu Curare Strangler Figs Primary Consumers Secondary Consumers Bengal Tiger King Cobra Harpy Eagle Primary Consumers Chimpanzee Palm Civet Toco Toucan Producers Jambu Curare Strangler Figs

Part 3: Populations and Communities Tropical Forests are places with great biodiversity. There are many populations in tropical forests and many communities.

Predator/Prey Interactions A common Predator/Prey Interaction in a tropical forest is that between a Harpy Eagle and a King Cobra. This Interaction is crucial to Tropical Forests because if the Harpy Eagle did not eat the Cobra, there would be nothing else to do so, and the Cobra’s prey – small and medium-sized animals – would become depleted.

Herbivory Interactions A good example of Herbivory in a tropical forest is the Sumatran Rhinoceros eating Bengal Bamboo. This relationship is very important because if the Rhino did not eat the bamboo, then the bamboo would become overpopulated, causing less available soil for other plants.

Symbiosis – Mutualism A good example of mutualism in a tropical forest is the Jambu Fruit Dove eating the rotting fruit from a Strangler Fig tree. This benefits both organisms because while the Fig tree’s bad fruit is removed (which is important because it leaves nutrients for the new fruit), the Dove gets a meal.

Symbiosis: Commensalism There is Commensalism between the Two-Toed Sloth and the Mangrove tree in tropical forests. While the sloth gets a meal from the mangrove leaves, the mangrove tree is not affected.

Symbiosis: Parasitism Parasitism occurs in tropical forests between a Vampire Bat and a Chimpanzee. This interaction harms the Chimpanzee because it causes it blood loss and sometimes rabies. It helps the Bat because it provides a meal to the Bat.

Niche and Competition A Two-Toed Sloth eats fruit, leaves and bark from trees. It is eaten by some larger carnivores or omnivores. A Jambu Fruit Dove is a potential competitor to the Sloth. If they are both eating fruit and leaves, there will be less food for them both. An outcome of this situation could be that the Sloth has to eat small rodents and tree bark only, while the Dove gets all the fruit and leaves.

Part 4: The Environment There are many vast environments in Tropical Forests. Many Resources are abundant. There are quite a few Environmental Issues, but all have Environmental solutions.

Resources A Resource used by humans that is abundant in Tropical Forests is wood. Wood is used mostly for building, but is used for crafts and other things as well. Wood is a renewable resource.

Environmental Issues Humans are negatively impacting Tropical Forests by destroying them, cutting down everything in their path. This causes the death of animals that depend on the Tropical Forest for shelter, food, and water. People can improve the health of Tropical Forests by planting more trees and not cutting the trees down in the first place.

Environmental Solutions Humans are contributing to keeping Tropical Forests healthy by planting more trees and trying to cut less trees down. This will cause more trees to exist, maintaining the homes and resources that so many animals depend on, including humans.

Part 5: The Evolution of Organisms With such biodiversity in Tropical Forests, there is a lot of evolution going on.

Species Adaptation – Poison Dart Frog Poison Dart Frogs have adapted in many ways to survive in Tropical Forests. The Poison Dart Frog has, first of all adapted to secrete poisonous fluid. Second, it has become very colorful, which is a sign to animals to STAY AWAY FROM THE POISONOUS FROG.

Natural Selection – Poison Dart Frog Natural Selection acted to spread these adaptations through the Poison Dart Frog population by adapting the frog to its predators. The Frog was selected by nature to secrete a poison. It then spread its adaptation to generations after it. This is why the Poison Dart Frog is poisonous and is not eaten by predators.

Extinct/Endangered Organisms An organism that once lived in Tropical Forests, the Giant Boa Constrictor, is now extinct. The Giant Boa Constrictor ate anything from small reptiles to large mammals, and was eaten by nothing. The Toucan is a bird with a big beak, which is brightly colored. The toucan eats fruit and bugs. It is eaten by medium to large mammals. The Toucan is endangered because of deforestation and captivity. Were the Toucan to become extinct, many medium to large mammals would lose their food, and there would be more fruit available for other species on the trees from which the Toucan feeds.

Sources Intro. Picture of Tropical Forest http://www.kbears.com/climates/printtropical.html General Climate info. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entebbe Part 1 Tropical Forest picture http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/temprain.htm Picture of deforestation http://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/2011/05/23/deforestation-of-the-brazilian-amazon-rainforest-has-increased-almost-sixfold/ Pic of grass http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/kentucky_bluegrass.htm Pic of Daisy http://www.rollingrains.com/case_studies/2010/03/daisy-and-information-accessibiliy.html Poinsettia pic http://www.logees.com/Jamaican-Poinsettia-Euphorbia-punicea/productinfo/S7751-4/ Pioneer, intermediate, and climax species info. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_rainforest Rainforest picture http://world-visits.blogspot.com/2012/03/tropical-rainforests.html Part 2 http://ecolibrary.org/page/DP9017 Food Web pictures and names http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/rainforest.htm Trophic Pyramid pics and names Part 3 Pictures in all Symbiosis slides and Niche slide Part 4 Picture of Tropical Forest http://csrgeneva.wordpress.com/2009/05/11/landscape-auction-innovative-financing-mechanism-for-nature-conservation/tropical-forest/ Picture of wood http://loadpaper.com/id70274/cherry-brown-wood-texture-backgrounds-1280x1024-pixel.html Picture of Forest http://www.thelocationguide.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=1573 Picture of Sapling http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-3518387-oak-sapling.php Part 5 Picture of Organisms http://www.buzzle.com/articles/tropical-rainforest-animals.html Picture of Poison Dart Frog http://www.aqua.org/explore/animals/blue-poison-dart-frog-dc http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Yellow-banded.poison.dart.frog.arp.jpg Picture of Giant Boa Constrictor http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16533-giant-snake-fossil-hints-at-a-hotter-future.html Picture of Toucan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Toco_toucan_london.jpg