How does a tropical rainforest ecosystem function?

What is an ecosystem? What are the components of an ecosystem? Abiotic components Environment Ecosystem Biotic components Plants Animals

What are the biotic components in a tropical rainforest ecosystem? Decomposers Microscopic organisms They may be classified into different trophic (feeding) categories. Biotic components refer to living things. Animals Consumers Producers Plants

What are the biotic components in a tropical rainforest ecosystem? 1 Producers Producers are green plants. They can produce their own food by ______________. photosynthesis Carbon dioxide Water at the presence of Sunlight Chlorophyll Oxygen Food

What are the biotic components in a tropical rainforest ecosystem? 2 Consumers Tertiary consumers: feed on secondary consumers Primary consumers: feed directly on producers Consumers are animals. They cannot produce their own food. Secondary consumers: feed on primary consumers

What are the biotic components in a tropical rainforest ecosystem? 2 Consumers A crocodile eats animals. It is a _________. carnivore A rabbit eats plants only. It is a _________. We can classify the consumers by their diet. herbivore Humans eat both plants and animals. They are __________. omnivores

What are the biotic components in a tropical rainforest ecosystem? 2 Consumers Rainforest tree (Producer) Producers and consumers make up a food chain. A food chain usually starts with a producer and ends with a secondary consumer or tertiary consumer. Grasshopper (Primary consumer) Lizard (Secondary consumer)

What are the biotic components in a tropical rainforest ecosystem? 2 Consumers In a tropical rainforest, individual food chains are interlocked at various levels to form a food web.

What are the biotic components in a tropical rainforest ecosystem? 3 Decomposers Decomposers such as fungi and bacteria break down dead plant and animal tissues. They secrete _________ to break down dead organic materials into inorganic matter. Plants can absorb them easily. enzymes Fungi are an example of decomposers

Water at the earth’s surface What are the abiotic components in a tropical rainforest ecosystem? Abiotic components refer to the non-living things. They are found in: Air Soil Precipitation Water at the earth’s surface Rocks Solar radiation Lithosphere Atmosphere Underground water Hydrosphere

What are the abiotic components in a tropical rainforest ecosystem? carbon dioxide rivers and lakes ground water weathered rocks Can you categorize the following abiotic components and state their importance to plants and animals? oxygen organic materials from soil rainfall solar radiation Abiotic components Atmosphere Hydrosphere Lithosphere carbon dioxide rivers and lakes weathered rocks rainfall ground water organic materials from soil They provide drinking water and living habitats for animals. oxygen They provide nutrients to plants. An input of photosynthesis of plants. It provides water for the photosynthesis of plants. An input of the respiration of living organisms. An input of the photosynthesis of plants. It provides moisture in the soil for the plants. They provide nutrients for plants. solar radiation

How are biotic and abiotic components linked in a tropical rainforest ecosystem? Biotic and abiotic components are closely linked by: Energy flow Nutrient cycling

Why is a tropical rainforest a fragile ecosystem? (Credit: K. Wothe/Blickwinkel) This biomass is vulnerable to various disturbances, such as fires or deforestation. That means a high proportion of the energy and nutrient is stored above ground. As mentioned before, most nutrients in the tropical rainforest are stored in the biomass.

Why is a tropical rainforest a fragile ecosystem? (Credit: Joerg Boethling/Still Pictures) As the rainforests support the wildlife there, destroying the rainforest will cause the rainforest ecosystem to collapse.

The biomass stores most of the nutrients in a rainforest. Why is a tropical rainforest a fragile ecosystem? Removal of trees caused by a sudden change in climate or external agents The biomass stores most of the nutrients in a rainforest. Loss of stored nutrients Collapse of the ecosystem No supply of nutrients to the soil created through decomposition Animals die No regrowth of trees Soil depletion

Energy flow in a tropical rainforest ecosystem Energy flow is the transfer of energy through various living organisms along the food web. There are five trophic levels in a tropical rainforest ecosystem. T1 Producers T2 Primary consumers T3 Secondary consumers Input of solar energy T4 Tertiary consumers T5 Decomposers The sun is the primary source of energy that maintains the ecosystem. Energy is passed along the food chain or food web.

Energy flow in a tropical rainforest ecosystem Net input of energy at each tropic level Energy loss through transpiration or respiration Heat loss through respiration Energy loss through decay and decomposition T1 Producers T2 Primary consumers T3 Secondary consumers Input of solar energy T4 Tertiary consumers T5 Decomposers Producers carry out photosynthesis with the input of solar energy. Some energy is lost during the transpiration, respiration and decomposition.

Energy flow in a tropical rainforest ecosystem Net input of energy at each tropic level Energy loss through transpiration or respiration Heat loss through respiration Energy loss through decay and decomposition T1 Producers T2 Primary consumers T3 Secondary consumers Input of solar energy T4 Tertiary consumers Energy not being used T5 Decomposers When primary consumers eat the producers as food, energy is transferred to them. Since primary consumers cannot fully digest the producers, the remains of the producers are being processed by decomposers.

Energy flow in a tropical rainforest ecosystem Net input of energy at each tropic level Energy loss through transpiration or respiration Heat loss through respiration Energy loss through decay and decomposition T1 Producers T2 Primary consumers T3 Secondary consumers Input of solar energy T4 Tertiary consumers Energy not being used Energy not being used Energy not being used T5 Decomposers The higher the tropic level (except decomposers), the ( less / more ) the energy remains. The energy flow carries on at different tropic levels. The energy flow carries on at different tropic levels.

Trophic pyramid A trophic pyramid shows the amount of organic matter of the living organisms in an area. As the trophic level increases, the amount of organic matter of each tropic level ( decreases / increases ).

Nutrient cycling in a tropical rainforest ecosystem Nutrient cycle refers to the circulation of nutrients from the environment to organisms and back to the environment. Environment Organisms Biomass Litter Nutrients are circulated among three stores Soil

Nutrient cycling in a tropical rainforest ecosystem Amount of nutrients transferred Biomass A Biomass Biomass refers to the total weight of living organisms, i.e. plants and animals, of an area. Nutrients are stored in plants and animals. Uptake by plants Plants consume nutrients from the soil and sun’s energy to produce their own tissues through photosynthesis. Soil When animals eat plants, they take up the nutrients and convert plant tissues to their own tissues.

Nutrient cycling in a tropical rainforest ecosystem Amount of nutrients transferred B Litter Input dissolved in rainfall Litter Biomass Littering Loss in run-off Dead plants tissues, dead animals and animal wastes accumulate on the ground to form a layer of litter. The falling rain dissolves minerals, e.g. nitrogen and carbon in the air, and add the nutrients to the litter. Some of the nutrients may be washed away by run-off.

Nutrient cycling in a tropical rainforest ecosystem Amount of nutrients transferred C Soil Litter Soil Nutrients decomposed from litter Loss through leaching Input from weathered rock When litter is decomposed, the nutrients are broken down into inorganic form and stored in the soil. Weathering of rocks contributes nutrients to the soil. Nutrients of soil may lose through leaching.

Nutrient cycling in a tropical rainforest ecosystem In tropical rainforests, the nutrient store of biomass is huge, but the stores in soil and litter are small. Biomass Most nutrients are stored in the dense vegetation Much input from rainfall Quick uptake by plants Litter Litter is quickly decomposed Soil Heavy rain causes strong leaching Amount of nutrients transferred