Geoecology Essay- Plant and Animal Adaptations to a Biome

Describe how plants and animals adapt to soil and climatic conditions in a biome you have studied.

A biome is an eco-system of 4 inter-related parts: climate, soils, plants and animals. The biome I have studied is the Tropical Rainforest Biome. In this biome, plants and animals have evolved body structures and ways of living that enable them to survive and reproduce in the particular soil and climatic conditions.

Climate and how plants adapt
In the tropical rainforest, the climate is wet and humid all year round. Heavy convectional rain falls each day with over 6000mm per year. Temperatures are high (average 27 C) and this combined with the heavy rainfall leads to high humidity, around 80%. Plants have adapted to the wet and humid conditions in many ways in order to survive in the tropical rainforest biome. Many plants have leaves designed to shed water from their surface very quickly. This prevents the branches becoming weighed down with water and breaking. Such designs include: 1. elongated leaves with deep grooves on the leaf surface to channel water to the tips, 2. leaves with very pointed ends (drip tips) to allow water to pour off them easily, and 3. smooth and hairless leaf surfaces to allow water to flow easily over them. A typical plant with these adaptations is the palm oil tree. If plants did not have these adaptations to their leaves, the plant would be weighed down with water and prone to fungal attack in the warm and humid conditions. Leaves are also large in order to capture as much light as possible in the dark understorey layer of the rainforest. Many tree species have saplings that have large leaves when they start to grow in the dark understorey but which then produce smaller leaves when they reach the light of the canopy. The emergent layer of trees is also an adaptation as tall trees grow and compete for light in the forest.

Soil and plant adaptations
Plants in the rainforest have adapted to grow successfully in the infertile latosol soil. They have adapted by growing very fast and having shallow root systems. Because of the wet, warm and humid conditions, dead organic matter is converted to humus very quickly by fungi and bacteria. If plants did not grow fast they would not be able to use the nutrients in the soil before they are leached out of it by heavy rain. Root systems are shallow because 90% of nutrients in the rainforest soil are in the upper O horizon so there is no need for plants to have deep roots. However to help support their great weigh, the tallest trees like mahogany have structures calls roots which grow out from the base of the trunk. These extended roots also increase the area over which nutrients can be absorbed from the soil.

Animal Adaptations to Climate and Soil
The tropical rainforest biome is perfect for animal survival. It is always warm and there are no seasons for food scarcity. There is shade in the jungle from the heat and shelter of the rain. There is no shortage of water. Due to the biodiversity of animals there is competition for food and space. Many animals have adapted by foraging for food at night, eg. jaguars. Many animals are arboreal, for example the wholly monkey and the sloth. They have adapted to living in tall jungle which grows in response to the climate and soil. Monkeys use their tails to keep balance as they jump from tree to tree. Flying squirrels have evolved flaps of skin between their front and back legs to jump between trees. Lemurs also live in the canopy. Macaws and parrots have hooked beaks which allow them to open nuts. They also use their beaks when climbing. The sloth has a two-toed claw to help grip the branches they hang from. They have large eyes to see in the shady environment. They have fur which keeps them warm as their metabolism is slow. The fur grows down form their body so the water form rainfall can be easily shed. Camouflage is one of the most effective adaptations used by many animals in the rainforest. One of the most common is for animals/insects/birds to use colour in order to look like a leaf or twig as the rainforest is scattered with with dead leaves. Moths, stick insects and tree frogs use this method. The jaguar has a spotted coat to blend into the shaded forest. Animals use blue/yellow/red to warn other species they are poisonous. An example is the macaw. The poison arrow frog is blue or green in colour and is poisonous.