Ecosystems and Energy Flow BY: NATALIE PORTWOOD AND SLYDER WELCH

Tropical ocean  Climate- close to the equator so warm, but gets 115in. Of rainfall each year.  Plants- Sea grass, coral reefs, kelp and red coralline.  Animals- fish; blue marlin, stone fish, smooth hammer head and etc… Reptiles; green turtle. Invertebrates; sponges and mollusks.  Limiting factors- temperature, current direction, velocity and run- off from land.  Adaptations- Many of the fish adapt to the coral reefs, giving them protection and a home. The stone fish has adopted over time to their surroundings to help keep protection from predators. All marine life have to adapt to the temperature, tides and water pressure.  Symbiotic relationships- mimicry(small fish), mutualism(shark and suction fish) and parasitism(shark and parasites).

Rainforest  Climate- very hot and humid because all the rainfall, rains up to 250cm. Per year.  Plants- Trees, epiphytes, lianas and bromeliads.  Animals- amphibians; poison dart frog, red- eyed tree frog. Birds; parrot and toucan. Mammals; jaguar, spider monkey, gorilla and Bengal tiger. Reptiles; anaconda, boa constrictor and black caiman. Aquatics; piranha.  Limiting Factors- Water, food recourses and sunlight.  Adaptations- The animals such as birds that display darker colors hide from predators more easily. Monkeys have adapted by climbing up in trees to look for food and protection. A camouflage mechanism used by frogs, chameleons, poison dart frogs and caterpillars.  Symbiotic relationships- Mutualism( monkeys and trees), Parasitism(leaf- cutter ants) and Commensalism(ants).

Similarities  The rainforest and the tropical ocean both have the wildlife factor. They both have many different types of exotic organisms.  Examples of these exotic features are the coral reefs of the tropical ocean and the plant life of the rainforest.  They both have many different species.  Bright colors  Different layers of the ecosystem.

Differences  The Rainforest is on land, while tropical ocean is a body of water.  The Rainforest is mostly made up of trees while the Tropical Ocean is made up of coral reefs.  Tropical Ocean has more fish involved in the ecosystem, than in the rainforest.  Tropical ocean is more dense, because made up of all water.  The rainforest gets more precipitation year round.

Tropical ocean cites         

Rainforest Cites   html html    and-their-adaptations and-their-adaptations  rainforest.html rainforest.html  

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