Tropical Rainforest
Megan L. Cleveland
SCI/256
JUNE 14, 2015
Mr. Davis

Tropical Rainforest
An ecosystem is a unique environment where every living thing is interdependent, and one of the most complex yet most interesting ecosystems in the world will be found in the rainforest. The dark and recessed thick plant growth make it one of the most moist places on Earth. If a person studies the plants and animals that compromise the rainforest ecosystem; a person can gain a basic understanding of why scientists and ecologists alike are concerned about the disappearing tropical jungles. Rain forests have the most complex and species rich ecosystems on Earth. A rain forest biome is very complex; including a myriad of different species or plants and animals that have all adapted to lots of rain. They have different levels of plants; the highest level are full of tall trees and they are for the closed canopy. Vines are the next level, such as orchids and epiphytes that grow high within the trees to reach more sun light. The lowest level belongs to the short trees and small plants, like ferns. At the base of it all is the forest floor; dark but full of life.
Rainforests support more than eight thousand kinds of plant within their dense vegetation. Australian rainforests produce flowers that are not found in any other place in this world. At ground level of a rainforest, it is so dark it may seem like dusk at lunchtime because of the layers of leaves blocking the light. Rainforests are so dense; it may take ten minutes for a raindrop to reach the forest floor. The animal life is made up of more than half of the animals in the world. The rainforests of Asia house frogs, snakes, and flying squirrels. A delicate food cycle hangs in the balance; from the tiger to the toucan, the bat to the beetle, each member of the chain depends on each other.
Rainforests make up less than ten percent of the Earth, they can be found on the largest five continents; from the islands of Java and Borneo to the billion-acre forest we know as the Amazon. The river in the Amazon spans section of five countries and would compromise the ninth largest country in the world if it became its own, The Amazon rainforest houses twenty percent of the plants and birds in the world. The Amazon is nick named “The lungs of the world” because it houses more than percent of the oxygen needed in the world to live.
Many scientists are concerned about the disappearing rainforests in areas such as the Amazon. Destruction of this magnitude affects animal life, as well as, rare plant species. “Human species will eventually feel the impact, as well due to 25% of the ingredients in our medicines are coming from rainforest plants. More than seventy percent of plants that have the anti-cancer properties are found in rainforests. Humans have greatly affected this by clearing forests for modern medicine gain. Rainforests cover around 5% of the Earth’s surface, but contain more than half of the animal and plant species on the planet.” (Rainforest facts, n.d.)
Rainforests also act as a huge water pump. They absorb water when it is plentiful and release it when it is scares thus balancing the water availability. During the wet season, this prevents flooding, erosion, and keeps large rainforest river systems the Congo and the Amazon from running out of water during the drought season. The agriculture in and around the rainforest river systems would suffer if they were lose those water pumps. Some countries that benefit from them are major food exporters and the loss of production would impact many other countries.
“Understanding that Everyone, without exception, completely depends on the Earth’s ecosystems and services for food, water, and the physical basics of their cultures; understanding these diverse phenomena and their interactions- the complete Earth system as an integrated whole. It is essential if policy makers and civil society are to have the opportunity to politically address these major environmental and societal changes.” (Lewis, 2005)
“The atmosphere, oceans, terrestrial ecosystems, and the dominant mammal- Homo Sapiens- all interact in highly complex ways. Changes in one component affect the behaviors of others. These changes are often characterized by nonlinear responses, complex feedback mechanism, and threshold changes. Understanding the links between components is, therefore, critical. For example, the rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations from fossil fuel use, and the resulting increases in air temperatures, and their impacts on the Earth’s system and human welfare, can only be understood by understanding the complete global carbon cycle, including the oceanic, atmospheric, and terrestrial components and how carbon moves between them.” (Lewis, 2005) One of the most vital roles a rainforest plays today is helping in the fight against global warming. Current climate change is a very serious problem for the Earth today. When humans burn rainforests, to clear the land for agriculture, it releases carbon dioxide and side effects; decomposition of dead plant matter and oxidation of soils. The destruction of rainforest is responsible for roughly seventeen percent of the annual carbon dioxide emission; totaling more than cars, ships, and airplanes release together. Rain forest plants absorb and store more than 4.8 billion tons of carbon dioxide a year- equaling up to ten percent of annual greenhouse gas emissions thus increasing global warming. If humans could pull together and save more of our rainforests we would be saving a natural living machine that removes some of the carbon dioxide we put into the atmosphere. Rainforest trees store almost as much carbon as we put into the atmosphere. Judging what we know and researching potential ways to help protect and rebuild the Earth’s natural ways of protecting herself- we could protect each other as well as use the gifts of the rainforests for medicinal purposes and to maintain our atmospheric gasses to prolong the Earth’s longevity. People should be more aware of the factors that play into our everyday lives and the lives of our surrounding ecosystems. Interfering with this balance will have great consequences for us all and our children after us.