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Students: Faith Youngblood, Jorden Jeffers, Meredith Bassett, Grace Meetze, Victoria Pete, and Marley Kobus
Caitlyn Mettelal, BIOL102 010
February 14, 2023
Figure 1. Ariel view of tropical valley. Image from education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/tropics
Tropics Ecosystem Introduction and Facts
Tropics Ecosystem Introduction and Facts
The tropics are warm throughout the entire year, with an average temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit (Costa et al. 2022).
There are only two seasons in the tropics: wet season and dry season (Costa et al. 2022).
Some parts of the tropics get up to 9 feet of annual rain, like South America, and others only get 10 centimeters, like Africa (Costa et al. 2022).
The tropics make up over 1/3 of the world's landmass and are home to 1/3 of the world's population (Costa et al. 2022).
examples of tropical organisms include Aedes aegypti, Toxorhynchites, Calophyllum inophyllum, Aspergillus Niger, Plasmodium falciparum, and Streptococcus pyogenes.
Environmental Threats
Deforestation
Mining waste
Invasive species
Climate change
(Morris, 2010)
Figure 2. Tropical forest. Image from https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/various-tropical-rainforest-facts.php
Figure 3. Deforested area. Image from https://sentientmedia.org/how-does-agriculture-cause-deforestation/
Deforestation
Deforestation is bad for the tropics due to increase in flooding and erosion. Crops have a more difficult time in the resulting soil. Biodiversity is threatened because species accustomed to environment are now vulnerable (Tropical Deforestation- Nasa, n.d.).
Mining Waste
The mining industry is extremely harmful to the environment. For instance it can cause air pollution, water pollution, damage to land, and a loss of biodiversity. Overall, its effects are extremely harmful and sometimes impossible to repair its damages. (Chepkemoi, 2017)
Figure 4. Mining event. Image from https://ecocycle.com.au/blog/how-is-mining-waste-recycled/
Figure 5. Invasive species examples. image from https://www.earth.com/earthpedia-articles/invasive-species-plants-animals/
Invasive Species
Invasive species create competition for native organisms for food and shelter. Invasive species can prey upon native species, in ways in which native species cannot adapt quickly enough, causing extinction. Additionally, they spread illnesses unique to their own species, which can cause catastrophic effects (Why are invasive species a problem?, 2023).
Climate Change
Climate change causes negative impacts by increasing variability in rainfall, more frequent temperature extremes, and a drier environment overall (Watts et al., 2022).
Figure 6. Climate change example. Image from images.google.com/
References
Costa, H., Sprout, E., Teng, S., McDaniel, M., Hunt, J., Boudreau, D., Tara Ramroop, Rutledge, K., & Hall, H. (2022). Tropics. National Geographic Society. https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/tropics
Morris, R. J. (2010, November 27). Anthropogenic impacts on tropical forest biodiversity: A network structure and ecosystem
functioning perspective. Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences. Retrieved February 14, 2023, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2982004/
Lindsey, R. (n.d.). Tropical deforestation. NASA. Retrieved February 14, 2023, from https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/Deforestation
Watts, M., Hutton, C., Mata Guel, E. O., Suckall, N., & Peh, K. S.-H. (2022, August 4). Impacts of climate change on tropical agroforestry systems: A systematic review for Identifying Future Research Priorities. Frontiers. Retrieved February 14, 2023, from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2022.880621/full
Why are invasive species a problem? Gulo in Nature. (2023, January 20). Retrieved February 14, 2023, from https://guloinnature.com/why-are-invasive-species-a- problem/#:~:text=Major%20impacts%20of%20invasive%20species%20include%3A%201%20Changing,them%20a %20problem%20for%20other%20species.%20More%20items
Chepkemoi, J. (2017, April 25). What Is The Environmental Impact Of The Mining Industry? World Atlas. Retrieved February 14,
2023, from https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-is-the-environmental-impact-of-the-mining-industry.html
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