Tropical Rain Forests
They are located near wet tropical lowlands and uplands nearby the equator. A good example is the Amazon River rainforest found in Peru. The structure of the tropical rain forest can be described as full of ferns and shrubs and other plants that require less light. Tall trees forming canopies are common and hence the floor of the forest is dark and damp. It has many layers of decomposing animals and leaves. The biotic components include bamboo and rubber trees, lemurs, poison dart frogs, and anteaters. On the other hand, abiotic components comprise of water, light, rocks, and soil.
Function of the tropical rainforest
Between 50-90 percent of the animal species in the world can be found in tropical rainforest. Next, they are an important source of medicine since 25 percent of the medicine in the world is got from a tropical rain forest (Tagliaferro, 2007). Thirdly, different food varieties such as coffee, tea, nuts, cocoa, rice and many others were originally found in tropical rainforest and still others are yet to be discovered. Lastly, tropical rainforests regulate the world temperatures as they act as the world's water and heat pumps. They disperse moisture into the atmosphere which returns to the ground as rain.
Biogeochemical Cycle
A biogeochemical cycle is a process through which a substance moves through the biotic and abiotic components of the earth. Such components comprise of the geological, chemical, and biological aspects of each cycle (Tagliaferro, 2007).
Steps of Carbon Cycle
First, carbon dioxide gets into the air as a result of breathing (exhaling) and combustion. Next, green plants and other organisms take in the carbon dioxide to make their food. Animals then feed on such plants hence incorporating the carbon content in their food chain. Later on, these animals and plants die and are fed on by decomposers in the ground. The carbon that was found in such bodies is then returned to the atmosphere. In some instances, decomposition may fail to take place such that the decomposed plants and animals are later available as fossil fuels (Hättenschwiler & Jørgensen, 2010).
Disturbance and Recovery
Disturbance refers to the process by which a biological or non-biological factors lead to the death of living organisms or changing of the spatial patterning in the respective ecosystem. Disturbance plays an important role in determining the structure of the population and the appeal of the ecosystem as a whole (Tagliaferro, 2007). Examples of disturbances include deforestation, forest fires, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and pollution
Recovery refers to the process of restoration of an ecosystem after a major or minor disturbance. It involves processes such as afforestation after deforestation has been carried out.
Deforestation is a common human disturbance in the current century as the world population increases and the need for land also increases. As a result, most lands are put under farming while most plant and animal species begin to disappear.
Volcanic eruptions are an example of natural disturbance. For instance, Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991 causing ash to massively cover the vegetation and in the process, killing it together with animals that consumed it (Turner, 2001).
Natural Resources from Tropical Rainforests
They include oils (Bay, Palm, Guaiac, Eucalyptus and Rosewood), Gum and Resins (Copal, Copaiba, Tung oil, and Rubber latex) and fibers (Bamboo, Kapol, Raffia, Ramie, and Rattan) (Turner, 2001). The only way such natural resources can be sustained is through preventing deforestation. This can be done through the enactment or laws either by the regional government or by the United Nations. Further, having people plant such plants in their lands without going into the forest to get them would greatly preserve them.
References
Hättenschwiler, S. & Jørgensen, H. (2010). Carbon quality rather than stoichiometry controls litter decomposition in a tropical rain forest. Journal Of Ecology, 98(4), 754-763. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2745.2010.01671.x
Tagliaferro, L. (2007). Explore the tropical rain forest. Mankato, Minn.: Capstone Press.
Turner, I. (2001). The ecology of trees in the tropical rain forest. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
