Tropical Rainforest Ecosystem Research Paper

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Location

As it is evident from their name, rainforests are located in regions with a high amount of annual rainfalls. In addition, such forests require high amounts of sunlight, which determines the location of these regions along the line of the equator in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. An example of a rainforest is an Amazonian rainforest located on the territory of Brazil.

Carbon Cycling

The carbon cycle in the rainforest can be characterized as fast-paced. The main actors of the process are the plants and wildlife abundant in the jungle. Mainly, the carbon circulates in this environment as a part of photosynthesis. Plants and other entities use photosynthesis (bacteria, fungi) to obtain microelements needed for survival and reproduction. They consume carbon dioxide and methane from the atmosphere and convert them into oxygen as a byproduct. At the end of their lifecycle, they produce methane and carbon dioxide through the decomposition of their foliage or other parts. As such, the rubber tree actively partakes in photosynthesis during the summer period. Its leaves fall in December until in February the blossoming period starts again.

Disturbance and Recovery

Possible disturbances in the ecosystem can be caused externally and internally. As for internal ones, a drought, for instance, could cause one or the other species to prevail in the food chain, increasing its population. An increased population would soon degrade to its normal size due to the lack of food, and the equilibrium will, therefore, be restored. The human-induced disturbance can be exemplified by deforestation. Exercised as a resource-gathering initiative, cutting down perspective species of trees such as rubber trees, humans violate the balance by diminishing or completely eliminating certain species. In addition, by exercising deforestation, people banish wildlife from their natural habitat, which pushes them to extinction, as they do not have time to adapt and evolve.

Rainforests are one of the greatest suppliers of a variety of materials. For instance, heavy industry utilizes tree oils, rubber, and timber produced from certain tree species. Particular plants such as Catharanthus roseus are utilized for producing medicine against leukemia (Aruna, Prabha, Priya, & Nadendla, 2015). Rainforests are also a source of fruits and other foods for both indigenous and urban people.

Assistance to the Ecosystem Recovery

One of the ways to sustain the flow of valuable resources while maintaining the equilibrium of rainforests is to give them time to heal and assist the process. Nowadays it is called sustainable logging. For instance, in the case of cutting down rubber trees, humans should plant new ones and control their population in order not to erase the species completely. However, this still does not address the problem of wildlife.

Humans can assist in rainforest recovery from past invasions by increasing the use of intensive agriculture, building productivity upon technology. This could help decrease the need for deforestation. By funding the projects to save and preserve rainforests, countries can contribute to a sustainable future. In addition, people could help protect the equilibrium of the ecosystem in rainforests by allocating more resources into control for and protection from unauthorized access to its resources. For instance, governments could sponsor and encourage local communities to exercise surveillance and reporting of poaching. Not only passive measures should be practiced. Active restoration is also in order. Planting and cultivating flora and breeding fauna can also become the milestones of a new strategy to save rainforests from danger, which human race has put them.

Reference

Aruna, M. S., Prabha, M. S., Priya, N. S., & Nadendla, R. (2015). Catharanthus Roseus: Ornamental plant is now medicinal boutique. Journal of Drug Delivery and Therapeutics, 5(3), 1-4.

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