Biome Project- Tropical Forest

By: Corbin Crain

I choose to do the tropical forest, because I like all the different kinds of animals that live there, and they have really pretty colored birds.

Introduction

Jakarta, Indonesia is located on the northwest coast of Java. Java is Northwest of Malaysia. Jakarta is not a city, but has the status of the capital of Indonesia, It is also a tropical Forest Region. Jakarta has a hot and humid climate. Half the worlds plants and animal species live there. Dry season is in September, and wet seasons rainfall peak is in January. There average yearly high temperature is 90.7 degrees (F), there average low temperature is 76.6 degrees (F). They get 67.173 inches of Rainfall a year.

General Climate

Part One: Ecosystems And Change

In my biome recently there was a tragic Volcanic Eruption. This tragedy effected the biotic factors by making them leave there homes, and try to escape, but many did not make it out of the forest, there for killing most of the biotic factors. The volcanic eruption effected the abiotic factors by melting most things on the ground, and it effects the temperature by making it extremely hot. This prepares the area for succession by wiping out all the plant population allowing succession to reoccur.

Secondary Succession In A Tropical Forest Biome

Trema Micrantha are generally small trees, reaching 10–20 m (33–66 ft) tall. The leaves are alternate, simple, 7–15 cm (2.8–5.9 in) long, ovate-acuminate to lanceolate with a long pointed tip, and evenly serrated margins. The fruit is a small drupe 3–5 mm (0.12–0.20 in) in diameter. Jacaranda Copaia species are shrubs to large trees ranging in size from 2 to 30 m (6.6 to 98 ft) tall. The Leavesare bipinnet in most species, pinnate or simple in a few species. The flowers are produced in conspicuous large panicles, each flower with a five-lobed blue to purple-blue corolla.

Pioneer Species

Trema Micrantha (Terma)

Jacaranda (Jacaranda Copaia)

Climax Communities in the tropical forests are mosses, grasses, herbs, small plants, ferns, shrubs, small trees, and large trees. Coconut trees are found in abundance in rainforests and other tropical locales. The "milk" inside coconuts is drinkable, however, it acts as a laxative if consumed in large amounts, so keep your drinking to a minimum. Banana trees are quite common in tropical rainforest locations around the world. Each tree grows a large stalk, which is covered in "bunches" of green

bananas. 

Climax Community

Coconut Tree (Cocos nucifera)

Banana Tree(Musa Acuminata)

Part Two: Energy Flow In Ecosystems

Food Web Of A Tropical Forest

Anaconda Ocelot Jaguar

Howler Monkey Golden Lion Three- Toed Sloth

Banana TreePalm Tree

Bromeliad Plant

Sun

Trophic Pyramid

VProducer

Primary Consumer

Secondary Consumer

Banana Tree Jacaranda Coconut Tree

Golden Lion

Howler Monkey

Three- Toed Sloth

Anaconda

Jaguar Ocelot

Part 3: Populations and Communities

Jaguars and Deer have a predator prey relationship, this relationship is important because if the jaguars went extinct there would still be things that eat the deer but the deer population could grow making a tropical forest crowded.

Predator/Prey Interactions

The Ornate Lorikeet they eat nectar and pollen mostly from eucalyptus and Melaleuca trees. If the Ornate Lorikeet didn’t eat the Melaleuca tree the tropical forest may have more food, but the trees could also become over populated. Its Important to the tropical forest because everyone has a place and when things change a lot more changes along with it.

Herbivory Interactions

Leaf cutter ants and fungus are an example of Mutualism. The ants niche is to protect the fungi from pests and mold and also feed it with small pieces of leaves. The ants keep their larvae in the fungi. The fungi’s niche is to protect the eggs and feeds them.

Symbiotic Relationships

A toucans niche is to consume various fruits and deposit the seeds in there waste on the ground to keep the fruits population up and they also keep the insect population under control. The Hornbill and the toucan look very similar, but they compete for fruits, and they also compete for a spot to lay eggs. The outcome is that one may be less common then the other because of nest laying spots and the food that is available. It effects both their niches by having to find something different to eat then what they would like, or it may even lead to not nesting.

Niche And Competition

HornBillToucan

Part 4: The Enviornment

A important recourse we use from tropical forests are medicines. We use the medicine to help take pain away, and to help make people not sick, medicine is renewable because its constantly growing back.

Recourses

Humans negatively effects a tropical forest because we cut down trees for paper, and bamboo for multiple resources. When we cut down the trees it takes away food recourses, and limits available shelter for organisms. We could improve the health of a tropical forest by simply not littering when touring or visiting a tropical forest, and we could try to limit the amount of paper we use in everyday life.

Environmental Issues

Humans positively effect a tropical rainforest by using technology to keep records, and track animals that have died and we try to insure that species doesn't go extinct. When this happens we take some of the species which is left, and protect them and make them reproduce to help insure their species wont go extinct. If certain species went extinct so could many others. We could have a chance of loosing a lot of the medicine we get from the tropical rainforests, and that would be terrible. Humans are trying to make a positive impact by helping save species.

Environmental Solutions

Part 5: The Evolution Of Organisms

Looper Caterpillars have adapted to their environment by camouflage. They Have adapted to the colors of leaves, wood, and even flowers. They also learned to attach themselves to the object they blend in with so they have a lower chance of being seen by there predators.

Species Adaptation-Looper Caterpillars

Looper Caterpillar attaching its self to a stem.

Looper Caterpillar Camouflaging to a flower.

Natural Selection- Looper Caterpillar

Introduction:◦ Global Distribution Picture:

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/rainforest.htm◦ General Climate Information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jakarta Part One

◦ Abiotic Factor Damage Information: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/standard/biology/biosphere/investigating_an_ecosystem/revision/4/

◦ Volcano Eruption Picture: http://www.gizmag.com/climate-volcanic-activity-link/25520/

◦ Trema Micrantha Information And Picture: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trema

◦ Jacaranda Copaia Information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacaranda

◦ Jacaranda Copaia Picture: http://www.stri.si.edu/sites/esp/tesp/plant_images_j.htm

◦ Banana Tree And Coconut Tree Information: http://www.ehow.com/list_6375854_native-plants-tropical-rainforest.html

◦ Coconut Tree Picture: http://missgallo.wikispaces.com/Coconuts

◦ Banana Tree Picture: http://maguyzucconi.ifunnyblog.com/bananatreepollinators/

◦ Banana Tree Scientific Name: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana

◦ Coconut Tree Scientific Name: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut

Sources

Part One Continued◦ Climax Community Information:

http://www.s-cool.co.uk/category/subjects/a-level/geography/ecosystems Part Two

◦ Food Web Of A Tropical Forest: Sun Picture:

http://www.cartoonclipartworld.com/sun/ Anaconda Picture:

http://www.stormchaser.ca/wildlife/venezuela_wildlife/anaconda.html Ocelot Picture:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ocelot.jpg Jaguar Picture:

http://ogop.lakesideschool.org/usscience/s100a2012/2012/05/15/jaguar/ Howler Monkey Picture:

http://173.210.1.82/Activities/Perini/Mantled%20Howler%20Monkey/mantled_howler_monkey%20FACTS.htm Golden Lion Picture:

http://www.123rf.com/photo_7149933_a-cute-golden-lion-tamarin-baby-leontopithecus-rosalia.html Three-Toed Sloth Picture:

http://www.dantalodge.com/#!three-toed-sloth/zoom/cau4/imageoez Bananna Tree Picture:

http://maguyzucconi.ifunnyblog.com/bananatreepollinators Palm Tree Picture:

http://www.turnbacktogod.com/palm-tree-christians/ Bromeliad Picture:

http://activerain.com/blogsview/554015/unusual-looking-plants-and-flowers-from-hawaii Touccan Niche Information:

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_niche_of_a_toucan Hornbills Information:

http://woodlandparkzblog.blogspot.com/2013/03/wonderfully-wild-wednesday-toucan-vs.html

Sourses Continued

Part 3 Jaguar and Deer relationship:

http://voices.yahoo.com/jaguar-predation-habits-their-significance-in-717035.html?cat=58 Jaguar Picture:

http://wallfive.com/jaguar-wild-wallpaper.html Deer Picture:

http://www.animalstown.com/animals/d/deer/deer.html The Ornate Lorikeet Information:

http://addiesrainforest.weebly.com/herbivores.html Ornate Lorikeet Picture:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bking720/5413364519/ Melaleuca tree Picture:

http://www.sfrc.ufl.edu/extension/4h/trees/melaleuca/index.html Leaf cutter ants information:

http://lo2fosho.blogspot.com/2011/01/symbiotic-relationships-in-tropical.html Leaf Cutter Ant Picture:

http://zoltantakacs.com/zt/pw/in/album.php?idx=7 Fungus Picture:

http://www.ants-kalytta.com/Ants-America.html Toucans Niche Information:

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_niche_of_a_toucan Hornbills Information:

http://woodlandparkzblog.blogspot.com/2013/03/wonderfully-wild-wednesday-toucan-vs.html Hornbills Picture:

http://www.theanimalagency.com/animals/birds/birds.htm Toucans Picture:

http://www.thelovelyplanet.net/tag/keel-billed-toucans/

Sources Continued

◦Part 4 Recourse Information:

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_natural_resources_found_in_a_tropical_rainforest

Medicine Picture: http

://genome.fieldofscience.com/2012/10/multivitamins-and-cancer-mixed-bag.html

Touring Tropical Forest Picture: http://

www.yunnanadventure.com/tour-p25-10day-kunming-jinghong-dali-lijiang-shangri-la-tour-with-the-tropical-forest

Saving Species Picture: http://cincinnatizoo.org/blog/2011/10/25/celebrating-30-years-of-saving-sp

ecies-with-science/

Looper Caterpillar Picture: http://twistedsifter.com/2012/05/wavy-lined-emerald-moth-camouflaged-l

ooper-info-pics/

Looper Caterpillar Picture: http://www.sahyadrica.com/2009/08/nagla-range-sgnp.html

Sources Continued