Summary The Amazon Rainforest is a very unique and diverse place. It is an area of dense forest that stretches approximately 5.5 million kilometers across South America. This special place is home to many different types of plants and animals which have their own special ways of surviving. Through this section of the website you will learn of the following topics in order. 1) Examples of plants found in the Amazon. 2) You will learn about some invasive species that are out in the Amazon. 3) An example of succession. 4) Different ways plants adapt to stay alive in their respected part of the rainforest. 5) A sample of what a food chain in the Amazon would look like. 6) Lastly you will see how organisms in this biome either help or effect each other through symbiotic relationships. Plants in the Rainforest The Amazon is home to many different types of plants that have their own unique features, this may or may not help them survive in their habitat. Plants in the Amazon can also benefit humanity, the Amazon is often known as the lungs of our planet because it produces so much oxygen from the overwhelming amount of trees. Another example of this could be a tree commonly known as the Rubber Tree. This particular tree produces latex that is used to make rubber. Not all plants in the Amazon are foreign however the Orchid is the largest species of plants there is coming in at around 30,000, there are so many of these because of there outstanding ability to be able to adapt at almost any climate. Plants can not only be found on land there are some unique Lilly Pads on the Amazon River that can grow up to 3 meters in diameter, some Giant Water Lilies are big enough to lay on. The last example of unique plants I have is the world famous Venus Fly Trap this plant is known as a carnivorous plant that closes its mouth on insects and digests them as food. Effects of Invasive Species Through the years their have been different species that have made their way to the Amazon one way or another. Some of these species can be beneficial however but many are actually a direct effect on the niches and biodiversity of the species in this biome. For example the cane toad is a part of the amphibian family, it is often used by farmers to protect their farms from insects and small animals. The problem for this in the Amazon is that the cane toad will feed on almost any animal of its size, this has been disrupting the food chain in the rainforest because they are wiping out populations of species. Another type of species that is known very well for wiping out different species of insects is the Cocoa Tree Ant, these ants hunt in large groups marching the amazon floor feeding on almost anything. This species alone has almost eliminated the entire arachnid population along with eating the hatchlings of tortoises and the eyes of adult tortoises. One type of invasive species that has not necessarily made its way to the Amazon yet but scientists seem to believe that if it is not stopped soon it will make its way into the Amazon River. The Golden Mussel is an aquatic species that comes from china and has made its way to South America, it reproduces 9 months of the year giving off a cloud of larvae that float with the water currents and attach onto hard surfaces. These mussels can produce toxic algae that can kill aquatic species. Symbiotic Relationships Animals in the Amazon find different ways to help each other out with their everyday living. This relationship is called symbiosis. There are 3 types of symbiotic relationships 1) Commensalism - When one organism benefits while the other organism is neither harmed nor does it benefit. 2) Parasitism - Where one organisms benefits while the other is harmed. 3) Mutualism - Where both organisms in the relationship benefits. An example of commensalism could be the relationship between the ecitoninae which is a large army of ants that hunt almost anything on the forest floor and organisms such as birds that follow behind them and eat the remains of the animals that the ants have attacked. Parasitism in the Amazon can come in the form of tree a vine like species called the strangler fig wraps around trees to steal the trees sunlight and nutrients and eventually kill the tree. Mutualism can be seen in the Amazon through very unique ways such as the Capuchin monkey eating the nectar from the flowering tree, while the monkey eats it gets pollen on its face and then when it transfers to another flower in naturally pollinates the flowers. Adaptations of Plants in the Amazon Through the heavy rainfall in the Amazon plants have developed themselves to better survive in their biome. One example of adapting to this rain is that plants have created things that are called "drip tips" this is so the rain has a way to effectively run of the leaves so it doesn't stay on the leaf and produce bacteria and fungus on the leaf. Other examples could mean that plants have to grow around other plants like the strangler fig does to the trees of the amazon as mentioned in the paragraph above. Plants also have adapted to be able to catch insects through the growth of pitchers which contain liquids that have a scent to attract the insects into falling into the pitcher then the plant digests it as food. Pyramid of Energy An example of a food chain that you would see in the Amazon Rainforest in order from 1st tropic level to 4th would be 1) Banana which is the producer because it produces its own energy through photo synthesis. 2) Fruit fly which feeds of the banana this is called the primary consumer. 3) Toucan which is the secondary consumer because it feeds on the fruit fly's which feed on the banana. 4)Jaguar is a tertiary consumer in the food chain it feeds on the toucan that feeds on the fruit fly which feeds on the banana. Succession in the Rainforest There are many different types of succession that can happen in the Amazon rainforest. The first form of succession is when flooding happens on the floor of the amazon from the abundance of rainfall. This causes the first level of soil to be taken away, therefore the environment must get new top soil. Another form would be human made when farmers come and cut down trees for their farm the soil over the years get infertile. When the farmer moves the environment starts growing small plants and trees again this is called secondary succession. |