Interconnectedness

In the rainforest ecosystem, everything is connected to one another. There is an interconnectedness existing in this ecosystem. To continue to function, the ecosystem depends on the interactions between the biotic and abiotic factors. An ecosystem survives by a combination of energy flow and matter recycling. To understand the interconnectedness of the ecosystem, food webs and food chains could be observed. Each organism depends on each other to survive and maintain their populations essay writer website. In the food web, there are the producers and the consumers.

The producers produce their food by the sun; they are autotrophs. This is one of the main ways energy is introduced into the ecosystem from the sun to the organisms. Herbivores depend on these producers for their food and energy. Carnivores depend on the herbivores for their food and energy, and omnivores depend on the producers and consumers for their food and energy. A dependency can be seen as the organisms rely on one another for energy. Food webs do not only show the transferring of energy through the organisms, but it also shows the predator-prey relationships.

This is important because this is one of the main ways a specie population is maintained. In the rainforest, there is a high biodiversity, so there is a large amount of organisms occupying the area. An example of this would be the jaguars prowling the area. They feed on preys such as tapirs and peccaries. Because of this, the number of peccaries and tapirs living in that area are kept to a certain balance. If the predators are lost, the populations of these preys would steadily increase causing there to be less plants in the area.

Fewer resources could cause some organisms population, which depends on this source for food, to deplete. So if this keystone specie is lost, the whole ecosystem is affected. Not only is predation observed, but symbiotic relationships are also seen: mutualism, commensalism and parasitism. An example of mutualism would be the lichen and fungus. The lichen is an alga that relies on the framework of the fungus to live on, and the fungus relies on the alga for food. These organisms are so dependent on one another; they cannot live without the other.

The mistletoe is a parasitic plant that attaches itself unto trees and sends its roots into the wood, taking the nutrients from the trees. The trees can die because of the lost of resource. Termites living in the rainforest use the fallen branches from the trees to build homes. The tree does not benefit from this but the termites do; this shows commensalism. Plants rely on animals to spread their seeds and to continue their species existence. Competition can also be seen. When organisms die, nutrients and resources are given back into the environment. There is a continuous recycling of nutrients.

Because of the interaction between animals and plants, nutrients can be obtained from the earth and the organism on the earth can obtain the nutrients. When an organism dies, its nutrients are given back to the earth where the organisms residing in this location uses it. This interaction could be seen in biogeochemical cycles. In biogeochemical cycles, the nutrients needed for an animal to survive moves through water, air, land and living organisms. An example would be the carbon cycle. When plants photosynthesize, they take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen.

This oxygen is needed by animals to survive. Organisms also depend on abiotic factors in the rainforest ecosystem to survive. Water is an essential component needed. An average temperature of 20oC to 34oC must be maintained in order for the animals to survive. The warm air and usual rain makes the climate perfect for trees to grow and survive. Sunlight also plays a huge role in the survival of the animals in this area. So many things are interconnected in the rainforest; a delicate balance must be maintained. If any factor is affected, the ecosystem could collapse.