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How plants and animals adapt to soil and climatic conditions in a biome -…
How plants and animals adapt to soil and climatic conditions in a biome
A Biome
is an ecosytem of 4 interrelated parts:
Soils
Plants
Climate
Animals
Biome i have studied is the tropical rainforest biome
In this biome plants and animals have evolved body structures and ways of livinig that allow them to survive in these soils and climatic conditions.
Cliamte and how plants adapt
The climate of tropical rainforest is wet and humid year round. Daily heavy convectional rainfall leds to over 6000mm per annum. Temps are high avg 27 and high humidity 80%
Plants have adapted to conditions to survive in this biome, some plants have leaves desgined to shed water preventing branches becoming weighted down and breaking. this includes elongated leaves with deep grooves to channel water to pointed drip tips to allow water to flow off the leaf surface. Example - Plam tree
Without these adaptations plants would be weighted down by water and also prone to fungal attack in the warm wet humid conditions. Large leaves have been developed to capture sunlight in darker understory layer. many tree species saplings with large leaves to start to grow in the dark understory then produce smaller leaves as they reach 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 in the infertile latosol soils. They have adapted by growing very fast with shallow root systems.
Due to wet humid conditions, dead organic matter is converted to humus quickly by fungi and bacteria. If plants didnt grow fast they would not be able to use nutrients in the soil beofre they are leached out of it by heavy rain. Root systems are shallow becuase 90% of nutrients in rainforest are in upper O horizon so no need for deep roots.
To support their great weight the tallest trees like mahogany have structure called extended roots growing from the base of the trunk. These extended roots also increase the area over which nutrients can be adsorbed 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 with food scarcity.
There is also shade from the heat and shelter from rain in the jungle.
There is no water shortage.
Due to biodiveristy of animals there is competition for food and space
Many animals have adapted by foraging for food at night e.g. jaguars
Many animals are arboreal e.g. wholly mokey and sloth. They have adapted to living in the tall jungle which grows in response to climate and soils. Monkeys use their tails to keep balance in the trees. Flying aquirrels have evolved flaps of skin between front and back legs to jump and "fly" between trees. Lemurs also live in the canopy.