Identify The Problems Experienced By The Surrounding People (Case Study Sample)

Tropical Rain Forest
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Tropical Rain Forest
Tropical rainforest also known as equatorial evergreen rainforest is a hot and moist biome within the equator. It is characterized by a high temperature and high levels of humidity this creates a suitable environment for growth of plants and animals. The average temperatures ranges between eighteen to thirty-four degrees Celsius while the average rainfall is between 1680 – 3000 mm annually. Rainforests exhibit a high level of biodiversity with a dense cover of vegetation and a large number of animal species living there.
The Amazon rainforest covers the Amazon basin of South America, it is the largest rainforest in the world covering approximately 5.5 million square kilometers majorly in four countries. It was formed during the Eocene era and appeared following a reduction in tropical temperatures. Abiotic factors are the inanimate components that influence an ecosystem, these are soil, temperature and precipitation. The soil type in rainforest varies highly depending on a combination of various factors, these include vegetation climate topography and soil age. It is shallow and highly characterized by leaching of soil nutrients resulting in a short nutrients cycle. The tropical rain forest has high temperatures due to the direct radiation from the sun, it is located between ten degrees north and south of the equator therefore it receives a constant rate of sunlight throughout the year. Precipitation in the rainforest is high ranging from 50 to 300 inches of rainfall annually, this has majorly influenced adaptation of plants to absorption of nutrients. The average humidity ranges 77 to 88 percent this creates a favorable condition for growth of epiphytes. (Couvreur, Forest & Baker, 2011)
Biotic components are all living things in an ecosystem these are vegetation and living organisms. The rainforest is divided into a vertical pattern with each layer a unique biotic community. The forest floor comprises plant adapted to a low intensity of light, the understory layer which is home a wide species of small mammals, birds, insects and predators. The canopy layer forms a uniform covering formed by massive trees which support epiphytes and the emergent layer which consist of very large trees hovering above the general canopy. (Ghazoul & Sheil, 2010)
A biogeochemical cycle this is a path way in which key chemical elements that form biotic and abiotic are circulated naturally to facilitate survival and thriving of living organisms. The cycle comprises of chemical elements such a carbon nitrogen and hydrogen which are recycled through a system from living organism to inanimate chemical forms in the system. (Ciais et al., 2014)
The carbon cycle is an example of a biogeochemical cycle. Carbon combines with oxygen in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide from combustion and respiration, it is then absorbed by plants to carry out photosynthesis process. When animals feed on the plants, which pick up the carbon which they pass it down the food chain. Animals breathe exhaling carbon dioxide during external respiration, when animals die they decompose releasing carbon to the soil or form fossil fuel used for combustion. (Ciais et al., 2014)
Fire is a major issue affecting rainforests despite the level of high precipitation and humidity. Fire arises due to lightning strikes, volcano action or prolonged drought. Ground vegetation saplings and smaller trees are usually affected by fires leading to massive clearing of vegetation coverage. (Bruenig, 2016)
Deforestation has been a critical issue affecting rain forests, activities of ranching, farming and illegal logging has accelerated reduction of forest coverage. Deforestation leads to habitant fragmentation by disturbing the natural habitat of organisms forcing them to go in search of new habitats. Furthermore, rainforests transform a proportional amount of carbon dioxide to oxygen, reduction of tree coverage will lead to global warming which result in changes in climatic patterns and conditions. (Bruenig, 2016)
Rainforests are a great source of fresh water, thousands of tributaries join to form large rivers, and this creates an important habitat to a large number of fish and river dolphins. Rivers are used to produce hydroelectric power, transportation of food and minerals and in agriculture for irrigation. Rainforests support almost 75 percent of all biotic species, part of these is a large variety of medicinal plants that are important. Rainforests are terms as “world’s largest pharmacy” because of a large number of natural medicines found in them. (Reis & Guzmán, 2015)
The rate at which rainforest are being destroyed is alarming and it has a global impact, however this destruct...