There are many different types of ecosystems in the world, some of which are more diverse than others. Rainforests are extremely diverse ecosystems that are very important to the well-being of the earth. Unfortunately, because of humans, plant and animal species in rainforests have been dying off at a very fast rate. Humans need to take the steps necessary to protect rain forests from further destruction.
In total, tropical rainforests cover seven percent of the earth’s surface, yet they contain over 50% of the world’s plant and animal species. In any ecosystem, all native plant and animal species play an important role in ecological function. The Amazonian basin may be the most diverse ecosystem on earth. It’s diversity is due to the low latitudes near the equator which allows daylight to be constant year round with more variation in daylight the further from the equator. There are millions of species that live in the Amazonian rainforest, all of which are very important in helping create healthy species interactions. When any species becomes extinct, it has a negative affect many other species (Vandermeer & Perfecto, 1995).
There are many different layers of vegetation in the Amazonian rainforest, all of which are almost individual ecosystems. There is the forest floor, then a layer of smaller trees which make up the majority of the understory, and then the larger species of trees that extend up into the canopy and over-story. The larger tree species can grow to over 150 feet tall (Vandermeer & Perfecto, 1995). These are the trees that loggers have been cutting down for many years (Chew, 2001). Even though most of the Amazonian region receives at least 12 hours of light every day year round, not much light reaches the forest floor due to the layers of broad leafed trees (Vandermeer & Perfecto, 1995). The mass amount of vegetation in the rain forest creates a huge percentage of the worlds oxygen, which is one of the many reasons this rainforest is so important to us (Vandermeer & Perfecto, 1995; Zeng, 1995).
Some of the animals that inhabit this diverse ecosystem include jaguars, giant anteaters, the giant armadillo, howler monkeys, spider monkeys, sloths, and Tapirs. There are many species of beetles present in the Amazonian rainforest, which make up about 25% of the worlds described animal species. Ants make up approximately 30% of the animal biomass in the Amazon basin. One tree alone in Peru was noted for having over 43 different ant species living on it. In the Manu National Park in Peru there are 1300 species of butterflies present. Insects make up approximately 90% of the animal species in the Amazon rainforest (Vandermeer & Perfecto, 1995). It is hard to comprehend the magnitude in scale of such a diverse ecosystem; unfortunately, it is quickly going into a downward spiral.
The Amazonian rain forests have low nutrient availability, and when a disturbance takes place, if the small amount of nutrients available are destroyed or moved, then the speed of succession will greatly decrease until the nutrients become available again. The rainforests’ ecosystem is very vulnerable to disturbances, because secondary succession depends greatly on nutrient availability and seedling regeneration. Some of these disturbances are fires, flooding, land-use practices, and global warming. These disturbances are important determinants that directly influence the landscape in different ways. Some of them are good for the ecosystem, and some are not. Lately there has been much more negative disturbances than good ones. (Chew, 2001)
It is because of human intervention that the Amazonian rain forest is quickly becoming smaller and is loosing it’s biodiversity. In the last 40 years, close to 20% of the Amazonian forest has been cut down. Small-scale agricultural farmers, ranchers, and the global warming are the main destructive factors, but there are also many other causes of the deforestation of the Amazon (Chew, 2001). There are a large number of roads, some of which are legal but most are illegal, that go through the Amazon forest. These roads have been made primarily for logging and the transportation of soybeans and other produce. These roads give illegal loggers and settlers access to the inner forest, increasing the deforestation rate (Wallace, 2007). Brazil’s land ownership policies are a big cause of deforestation of the Amazon rain forest. The ownership polices encourage poor farmers to settle on unclaimed public land, because if they use the land for five years, they can the claim ownership (Wallace, 2007; Chew, 2001). Cattle farms are the largest cause of deforestation in the Amazon. Beef is raised and processed in the Amazon area, then is exported to all over the world. (Chew, 2001) The reasons for decreasing biodiversity in the Amazon rain forest are extensive, but could be put to an end.
The Amazon forest is a place that needs to be protected. There is a solution to the deforestation and diminishing of biodiversity problems. What the countries surrounding rainforest can do to help prevent deforestation is give harsher and better enforced punishment for illegal logging. Brazil should change its land ownership laws. South American countries should try to prevent more roads from being made that go through the forest. The biggest thing North Americans and Europeans can do to prevent deforestation is to buy locally grown/raised food. Cattle are strong animals, which can live almost anywhere that humans can. If everyone bought locally raised beef, it would not only substantially cut down on deforestation, and it would also cut down on the pollution caused by shipping the food. This process can also be applied to soybeans. The products that can’t be grown in one’s local environment, such as bananas and coffee, should be used in moderation. Buying foods grown locally is good for the environment and good for your body because they do not need to have preservatives. These are mostly simple, doable changes that can greatly help prevent further destruction of our earth.
The Amazon rainforest is an extremely diverse ecosystem that helps sustain the life of every creature on earth. Rainforests are important to humans because they absorb much of the excessive carbon dioxide emissions we put out, they are beautiful, and many other reasons (Vandermeer & Perfecto, 1995)! Unfortunately, we are failing at sustaining these precious ecosystems. If we don’t protect the rainforest from further destruction, we will be losing so much. Please help take care of our earth; we aren’t going to get another one! Bibliography
Vandermeer, J., & Perfecto I. (1995). Breakfast of Biodiversity: The Truth About Rain Forest Destruction. The Institute for Food and Development Policy.
Chew, S. World Ecological Degradation: Accumulation, Urbanization, and Deforestation 3000 BC - AD 2000. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, INC.
Zeng, N., Dickinson, R., Zeng, X. (1995) Climatic Impact of Amazon Deforestation- A Mechanistic Model Study. Tucson, AZ: Institute of Atomspheric Physics, University of Arizona.
Wallace, S. (2007). Last of the Amazon. National Geographic.
No comments:
Post a Comment