What are the roles each of the organisms play?
The producers are the autotrophs. They produce oxygen and other organic molecules necessary to life. In a biome, the producers are the main component because they keep the food chain going by sustaining life. The consumers are known as the heterotrophs. They do not produce any organic molecules, but consume and can break down the organic molecules. The animals in this biome are great examples of consumers because they consume the fruits and plants. A Primary consumer is a consumer that eats the producers in the biome, which makes it a herbivore. A secondary consumer eats the primary consumers in the biome, which makes it a carnivore. A tertiary consumer eats the secondary consumers in the biome. A decomposer is an organism that breaks down the organic matter in a biome. A scavenger in a biome has traits of both carnivores and herbivores and they mostly eat carrion and dead plant material.
The Organisms in this Biome
Producers:
- Selaginella longipinna Warb.
- A producer found along on the northeastern coast of Australia. It is classified in the phylum of ferns. This plant is eaten by most of the animals who eat ferns. (Australia, A. O.).
- Native Hibiscus
- The edible things in the plant are the flowers, leaves, and roots. The plants vary in size. They are mostly found in the tropical and subtropical areas. Since this plant is edible as a whole any animal eats this plant. (Australian Native Hibiscus).
- Blue Quandong
- This plant is located along the Cape Tribulation road. One unique thing about this plant is that it grows very young and the flower stems are clothed with silky leaves. The Blue Quandong produces a fruit that is similar to an olive; around the size of 3 cm. This fruit is in a sky blue colored fruit and it is produced all year long. Organisms that eat this are: Crimson rosella, Figbird, Olive-backed oriole, Regent bowerbirds, Womga pigeons, and White-headed pigeons. (Chambers, J. ¡Quandong! ).
- Bleeding Heart
- The scientific name is Homalanthus populifolius. This plant is named this way because the leaves are shaped in a heart and when they are about to be dropped on the ground, they are bright blood red. This plant also produces small green fruits and it is located along in the Cape Tribulation area of the Daintree Rainforest. The Hercules Moth is very fond of this plant and only prefers to eat this plant.(Chambers, J. ¡Bleeding Heart!).
- Cauliflory
- There are more than a 100 species of the plant Cauliflory. They are the insect fauna in the rainforest and no particular species prefer to eat this plant. The Cauliflory plant buds flowers and fruits from the side of the tree trunks. Mostly frugivores(fruit-eating animals)and pollinators are attracted to this plant.(Susan.mahr, B. (2007, December 17) ).
Consumers:
- Primary consumers:
- Hercules Moth
- The scientific name is Coscinocera hercules. The common names are Hercules Moth and Atlas Moth. These moths are known to have the largest wingspans in the world between the other species of moths. A female moth's wingspan is 27 cm and a male moth's wingspan is 20 cm. Hercules moths are found resting upon the trees in the rainforest. Their diet consist of a number of plants, but they particularly prefer to eat the plants: Bleeding Heart and Cheese tree. (Coscinocera hercules, 2015).
- Pied Imperial-Pigeon
- The scientific name is Ducula Bicolor. These species are located in many different areas; Western Bay of Bengal, Eastward to the Philippines, South of Indonesia and New Guinea, and Northern Australia. Pied Imperial-Pigeon's habitat is located on the offshore islands and is found on the mainland of Northern-Australia and North-eastern Australia. The pigeon's diet consists of fruit because they are frugivores; mostly eat from tropical trees, palms, vines, and brushes. (Pied Imperial-Pigeon).
- Wompoo fruit dove
- The scientific name for the dove is Ptilinopus magnificus, one other common name is Wompoo pigeon. They are distributed along the eastern coast of Australia. The Wompoo fruit dove prefers to live in the rainforest along the eastern coast in Australia. This pigeon feeds on a variety of rainforest fruits. One unique way you can locate them is by listening to the sound of fruit falling off trees closely. (Wompoo Fruit Dove).
- Hercules Moth
- Secondary Consumers:
- Musky Rat Kangaroo
- The scientific name is Hypsiprymnodon moschatus. (Musky Rat-kangaroo - Hypsiprymnodon moschatus). They are located in the Northern Queensland wet tropical areas. The Musky Rat Kangaroo is distributed in Atherton and Carbine and Windsor Tablelands. Some coastal areas they are located in Cape Tribulation, Yarrabah, and Mission Beach. (Claridge, A. W., Seebeck, J. H., & Rose, R. (2007)).There are 2 unique things about this animal: an insectivorous animal and this animal has a hopping behavior( they are part kangaroo). (Musky Rat-kangaroo - Hypsiprymnodon moschatus).
- Feral pigs
- Feral pigs are distributed in the Northern territories of Australia and the Western part of Australia. The habitat that they are mostly found in are moist areas; Rainforest areas, Monsoon area, Paperbark swamps, and Open floodplains. Feral pigs do not have a consistent diet because they are opportunistic omnivores. These omnivores prefer to eat green vegetation, fruit, and grains. They also do eat frogs, fish, birds, reptiles, small mammals, and carrion. Another unique thing that these omnivores can do is that they go underground and eat the plant material under there. (Feral Pig Biology. (2012, June)).
- Southern Cassowary
- A large species of flightless birds. The Cassowaries are located in the Aru Islands, live in North-eastern Australia, live in the dense tropical region in New-Guinea and the surrounding islands, and in the Australo-Papuan region. These species can run more than 30 mph. Two of the distinctive features between females and males are body size and how brightly colored the feathers are. Due to deforestation the animals are endangered. (Cassowary. 2011, February 18). The Southern Cassowary forage for fruits and small animals. (Cassowary. 2016).
- Musky Rat Kangaroo
- Tertiary Consumers:
- The Dingo is known as Australia's wild dog. The Dingoes may live alone or in a pack up to 10 dingoes together. Dingoes are known to have alike characteristics like Wolves. The Dingoes are a big problem to all farmers because they prey on sheep. The Dingoes are distributed all over Australia and they are mostly found where their food is found. Their diet consists of meat and they are carnivores. (Dingo). The Dingoes are known to harass cassowaries when they are in a pack; the older birds, chicks, and sub-adults mostly fall prey to this. (Endangered southern cassowary., 2014).
- Estuarine Crocodile(Saltwater crocodile)
- The scientific name is Crocodylus porosus. The diet of the Estuarine crocodile is very unpredictable because they eat about anything they can get their jaws on. They are located in the freshwater regions of eastern India, Southeast Asia, northern Australia. (Saltwater Crocodile).
Decomposer :
- Golden Green Stag Beetle
- The Golden Green Stag Beetle plays a big role in decomposing the dead material in the ecosystem. The are found in tree trunks and dead branches. The predators are feral pigs and bandicoots. (INSECTS).
Scavenger:
- Wedge-tailed Eagle:
- The Wedge-tailed Eagle species are located mainland Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea. Their habitat is from sea level to Alpine regions in mountains. They prefer wooded and forested areas. The diet mostly consists of preying on animals and carrion. The Wedge -tailed Eagle preys mostly on Rabbits and Hares. (Wedge-tailed Eagle).
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Food Web:
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Energy Pyramid:
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Carbon Cycle
Cellular respiration releases carbon dioxide, which is used in photosynthesis. Photosynthesis in turn releases oxygen used in respiration. Animals and other heterotrophs depend on green organisms for organic food, energy, and oxygen. In the carbon cycle, organisms exchange carbon dioxide with the atmosphere. On land, plants take up carbon dioxide via photosynthesis and incorporate it into food used by themselves and heterotrophs. When organisms respire, some of this carbon is returned to the atmosphere in the molecules of carbon dioxide. Living and dead organisms are reservoirs of carbon in carbon cycle. More than 800 billion tons of carbon are in the world's biota, mainly in cells of trees. An additional 1,000 to 3,000 billion tons in remains in the soil (Biology).
Informational Sources in APA format:
Australia, A. O. (n.d.). Selaginella longipinna Warb. Retrieved October 09, 2016, from http://bie.ala.org.au/species/http://id.biodiversity.org.au/node/apni/2916794#overview
Australian Native Hibiscus. (n.d.). Retrieved October 09, 2016, from http://www.hibiscus.org/species/austnativehibiscus.php
Biology 181. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14, 2016, from http://gened.emc.maricopa.edu/bio/bio181/BIOBK/BioBookTOC.html
Boundless. “Transferring of Energy between Trophic Levels.” Boundless Biology. Boundless, 02 Jun. 2016. Retrieved 16 Oct. 2016 from https://www.boundless.com/biology/textbooks/boundless-biology-textbook/ecosystems-46/energy-flow-through-ecosystems-257/transferring-of-energy-between-trophic-levels-953-12213/
Buckley, J. M., Jr. (n.d.). Energy Flow. Retrieved October 16, 2016, from http://regentsprep.org/regents/biology/units/ecology/energy.cfm
Burrell, S. (2015, October 30). Dingo. Retrieved October 14, 2016, from http://australianmuseum.net.au/dingo
Cassowary. (2016). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from http://school.eb.com.scsl.idm.oclc.org/levels/high/article/20674
Cassowary. (2011, February 18). Retrieved October 01, 2016, from http://true-wildlife.blogspot.com/2011/02/cassowary_18.html
Chambers, J. (n.d.). ! Bleeding Heart ! Tropical Rainforest, Far North Queensland Australia. Retrieved October 09, 2016, from http://rainforest-australia.com/Bleeding_Heart.htm
Chambers, J. (n.d.). ! Quandongs ! Tropical Rainforest, Far North Queensland Australia. Retrieved October 06, 2016, from http://rainforest-australia.com/quandongs.htm
Claridge, A. W., Seebeck, J. H., & Rose, R. (2007). Distribution and Habitats. Bettongs, Potoroos and the Musky Rat-kangaroo. Collingwood, VIC: CSIRO Publishing.
Coscinocera Hercules. (2015). Retrieved October 09, 2016, from https://www.jcu.edu.au/discover-nature-at-jcu/animals/butterflies-and-moths-by-scientific-name/coscinocera-hercules
Dingo | National Geographic. Retrieved October 09, 2016, from http://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/d/dingo/
Endangered southern cassowary. (2014). Retrieved October 09, 2016, from https://www.rainforestrescue.org.au/page/103/endangered-southern-cassowary
Evans, O. (Ed.). (2015, October 26). Wedge-tailed Eagle -. Retrieved October 14, 2016, from http://australianmuseum.net.au/wedge-tailed-eagle
Feral Pig Biology. (2012, June). Retrieved October 09, 2016, from http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/content/agriculture/pests-weeds/vertebrate-pests/pest-animals-in-nsw/feral-pig-biology
INSECTS. (n.d.). Retrieved October 11, 2016, from http://www.destinationdaintree.com/the-daintree/wildlife/insects
Musky Rat-kangaroo - Hypsiprymnodon moschatus. (n.d.). Retrieved October 09, 2016, from http://eol.org/pages/311160/overview
Photosynthesis, Cellular Respiration and the Carbon Cycle. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14, 2016, from http://kmbiology.weebly.com/photosynthesis-cellular-respiration-and-the-carbon-cycle.html
Pied Imperial-Pigeon. (n.d.). Retrieved October 02, 2016, from http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Ducula-bicolor
Saltwater Crocodile | National Geographic. Retrieved October 09, 2016, from http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/saltwater-crocodile/
Susan.mahr, B. (2007, December 17). Cauliflory: Flowers that Bloom on Tree Trunks. Retrieved October 09, 2016, from http://wimastergardener.org/article/cauliflory-flowers-that-bloom-on-tree-trunks/
Stag Beetles. (2010, August 22). Retrieved October 09, 2016, from https://museumvictoria.com.au/discoverycentre/discovery-centre-news/2010-archive/stag-beetles/
Wedge-tailed Eagle. (n.d.). Retrieved October 09, 2016, from http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Aquila-audax
Wompoo Fruit-Dove. (n.d.). Retrieved October 09, 2016, from http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Ptilinopus-magnificus-0