The_Rainforest_Ecosystem

The Rainforest Ecosystem Kimberly McCray Class The Rainforest Ecosystem The rainforest is a developed ecosystem giving life to millions of highly adapted plant and animal species. Rainfall often exceeds 100 inches a year and the average humidity is between 77 and 88 percent. The temperature fluctuates between 68°F and 93°F. Any change in this climate would alter the unique makeup of the rainforest and it would not be able to survive as it is. Competition for survival in the rainforest is fierce. As a result, both plants and animals have adapted to defend themselves, and to overcome these defense systems. The four-layer structure of the rainforest exhibits this adaptation for plants. The tallest layer, or emergent layer, contains trees that grow as tall as 200 feet and battle the elements of temperature fluctuation, wind and rainfall. The second and main layer is the canopy, made of dense trees that filter out 80% of the sunlight. Trees in the understory grow no more than 12 feet in height. The forest floor is almost bare of plant life. The first law of thermodynamics states, “Energy can be changed from one form to another, but it cannot be created or destroyed.” The second law states, “in all energy exchanges, if no energy enters or leaves the system, the potential energy of the state will always be less than that of the initial state." (P. Raven, 2010) Based on these two laws, the process by which energy flows through the four layers of the rainforest can be explained. The trees in the tallest layer protect the rest from the elements and provide life to a system of animals that may never leave this layer. Trees in the canopy store the most sunlight and grow the most fruit and flowers. Their specially shaped leaves are designed to drip water down to the layers below it. Trees in the understory rely most heavily on animals for pollination and seed dispersal. Discarded foliage collects on the forest floor and insects such as millipedes and worms abound, breaking up the foliage for food and providing nutrients to the poor soil. The roots of trees from the emergent layer grow shallow, in order to gather as many nutrients from the poor quality soil as possible. In this way, energy is passed from layer to layer, and animal to plant, with no one layer system existing without the energy contribution of another. References P. Raven, L. B. (2010). Environment, Seventh Edition. Jefferson City: R.R. Donnelley.