Tropical Dry Forest

                                                            

By: Courtney Barnhart And

Alexis Howes

Food WebTertiary Consumers

1 kcal

Secondary Consumers 10kcals

Primary Consumers 100kcals

Producers 1,000 kcals

Environmentalist/Biologist 

1. Write a list of the different countries that are within this biome.

A: Tropical dryforests are found in South America, West Africa, Australia, Southern India, and Southeast Asia.

2. What human activities endanger or damage areas of this biome? (Deforestation, tourism, urban sprawl, increase in population, agriculture, industrial waste, etc.)

A: Tourism is common in the area. Outside this native range, a species may be introduced by human activity; it is then referred to as an introduced species. Many species of dryforest animals are endangered and many other have gone extinct as the number of acres of rainforests on Earth decreases.

 1. What sources are there for drinking water? (Lakes, rivers, underground water tables/rivers)

A: With an annual rainy season, there is plenty of water for drinking.

4. Are there any “protected” regions established to preserve parts of this biome?

A: There are plantations to preserve the health and being of the plants.

5. What are the largest plants and animals? The smallest?

A: Jaguars and gorillas are the largest animals, while, fire ants and insects are the smallest animals in my biome.

6. Are any of the animals or plants from this biome considered rare or endangered?

A: Poisonous animals openly advertise their defense methods, usually with bright colors and flashy patterns. When a predator eats one member of the group, it will get sick. This memory will stay with the predator, who will avoid that type of animal in the future. Other animals (poisonous or not) have come to mimic poisonous butterflies, obtaining the benefits of their poisonous “twins”. This is called mimicry.

7.What natural disasters endanger or damage areas of this biome?

A: Earthquakes are very common in the type of area as well as tsunamis.

8. Are any of the animals or plants from this biome considered rare or endangered?

A: Most animals are endangered by predators. They usually hide in small cubbies or logs to keep safe from the attacking of other animals. A lot of animals are also endangered to becoming extinct due to the deforestation of animals homes.

Summary:

In my biome the trees are very tall and of a great variety of species. One rarely finds two trees of the same species growing close to one another. The vegetation is so think that little light would be seen by the forest floor. Most of the plants are evergreen. The branches of the trees are festooned with vines and epiphytes. The high rainfall leaches soil minerals below the reach of plant roots. The warmth and moisture cause rapid decay so little humus is added to the soil. There is a biodiversity of animals and plants that live in this region.

   

Questions for the Climatologist

*What is the average annual temperature?- 24*C *What is the average annual precipitation? Is the

precipitation greater during one time of the year?- anywhere from 10-20cm to 1000-1500cm depending on the specific dry forest.

         *Do the answers to items 1-3 differ for different locations within this biome?-yes, they differ from certain areas of the biome.

Ÿ         Between what lines of latitude do most regions of this biome fall within?- located from 10* to 25* N and SŸ         Does this type of biome experience any droughts, floods, hurricanes, or other major storms on a regular basis?- it experiences long droughts some areas worse than others and some last for a couple monthsŸ         Are there any seasons common to areas within this biome? If so, describe.- there are four seasons, fall, spring, summer, and winter. There is an extra long dry season in the warmer months.

         Are there any mountains, oceans, volcanoes, or other natural features that contribute to the climate of the regions in your biome?- yes theres mountains on certain sides of where the biome covers.  

Questions for the Geologist         Are there any earthquakes/fault lines or volcanoes in areas of your biome?- yes there’s many fault lines all throughout the areas with tropical dry forests.         Are there any mineral or oil deposits in areas of your biome? If so, how does this effect the environment or economy?- there is mining but it involves destroying parts of the forest.  

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/rainforest.html

http://chalk.richmond.edu/education/projects/webunits/biomes/rainforest.html

http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/rforest.html

http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/troprain.html

http://biology.about.com/od/landbiomes/a/aa042806a.html

Work Cited