Ecosystem in Danger Borneo Forest by Jocelyne Mendez

Welcome to the Borneo Rainforest!

Borneo is one of the most diverse habitats on Earth, presenting high numbers of unique plants and animals. It's the 3rd largest island in the world it is larger than Germany and Britain combined. Borneo Covers the size of Utah. It is divided between Indonesia, Brunei-Darussala and Malaysia. The landscape offers many habitats: mangroves, peat swamp and swamp forests, ironwood, heath and montane forests. It provides ecological services for at least 11 million Borneans. Unfortunately the rainforest has become an endangered ecosystem because many trees are being cut and degraded for timber, palm oil, pulp, rubber and minerals.

History

The Indians named the island Borneo which means the land of gold. Archaeologists reveal findings in the Sarawak river revealing that the area was a thriving trading center between India and China from the 6th century until about 1300. By the 14th century, Borneo was under the control of the Majapahit kingdom. Muslims entered the island and converted many of the indigenous peoples to Islam. In the 19th century, the British and Dutch signed the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 to exchange trading ports. The British North Borneo Company controlled the territory of North Borneo. During World War II, Japanese forces gained control and occupied Borneo. They decreased the population and killed Malay intellectuals, executing all the Malay Sultans of Kalimantan. After the Fall of Singapore, the Japanese sent several thousand British and Australian prisoners of war to camps in Borneo. At one sites, around Sandakan in Borneo, only six of some 2,500 prisoners survived. In 1945, the Japanese were defeated by the Allies. Borneo was the main site of the confrontation between Indonesia and Malaysia between 1962 and 1969. The British Army was deployed against Indonesians and the communists revolt to gain control of the whole area.

Evolution history

Scientists believe that the island was formed as a result of one big volcanic eruption under the sea followed by many smaller ones, which led to several pieces of land joining together into one big land. As of 1950, almost all of Borneo's territory was covered in rainforest. By 2005, it appears as if at least 30% - 40% of the island's forest cover has been destroyed for good.

Biotic community

food chains/foodwebs

(Frog food web) starting with cattail > crickets > and ect.
(oranguntan and leopard food chain) starting off with figs and ect. > insects > and ect.
(Lizard and Snake food webs) - - - lizards (on the right) - - -The snake (anaconda) (on left)
(Snake food web) and (leopard)
(Rhino food web) starting with the sun > plants > and ect.
(Rats food web)

one generalist

Rat is one generalist because it can adapt itself to many types of environments and climate. They are able to survive a wide variety of conditions and changes related to food, climate, predators.

one specialist

rhinos are one of the Specialists in these forest. they can live only in a narrow range of conditions related to diet and climate. Sumatran rhinos are found only in small areas of Malaysian and Indonesian swamps and rain forests because the climate is warm and moist which is perfect for these creatures. Rhinoceroses are herbivores, which means they eat only vegetation.

types of relationships

interspecific competition - is a form of competition in which individuals of different species compete for the same resource

For example, some monkeys like the howler monkey has to compete with the 3 toed sloth for food in the ecosystem, they both feed on leaf and flower matter.

Howler monkey (left) 3 toed sloth (right)

predation - the preying of one animal on others.

For example, the reticulated python (type of snake) in borneo eat mice, birds, and many other small to medium sized animals. Another example are jaguars, they eat large mammals such as sloths, turtles and many others.

jaguar-(left) python-(right)

parasitism - relationship between two different organisms where the parasite harms the host

For example, When leaf cutter ants collect leaves, phorid flies lay eggs in the crevices of the ant's head. And when the eggs hatch, the larva feed on it so they can grow what kills the ant.

(the phorid flies and the leaf-cutter ants)

mutualism - symbiosis that is beneficial to both organisms involved.

For example when howler monkeys eat nectar from flowers on the trees, they get pollen stuck to their face and then transfers the pollen to other flowers they will be feeding on the tree. In doing this both organisms benefit because the monkeys get food from the flowers but the monkeys help pollinate them.

Howler monkeys

commensalism - is a relationship, in which one species benefits from an association with another organism, while the other organism receives no benefit and is not harmed

For example, the new world army ants are known for eating anything that goes in their way as they move. But after the ants finish their food, the antbirds eat all the scraps remaining. The antbirds are benefited because they get food from the ants but the ants are unaffected.

Antbird-(far left)........New world army ants-(middle, and far right)

resource partitioning - When species share the same resources but avoid competition for the resources

For example, sloths eats leaves in branches and unintentionally drop some leaves to the forest ground letting insects and worms eat leaves that have fallen

Sloth-(top far-left)......Borneo worms-(top right and bottom)
r-selected and k-selected species

r-selected species

The microhylidea is a small frog with about 495 types of species. mostly found in tropical regions such as borneo. they are below 1.5 cm in length, although some can go as large as 9 cm (3.5 in). They are terrestrial. Some live close to water because they use bodies of water for reproduction laying aquatic eggs. The female can lay up to 1,500 eggs. She can only reproduce once in a life time. Its life span is about up to 6-8 years. Microhylids generally eat termites and ants because of their narrow mouth.

k-selected species

The Sumatran rhinoceros is a small rhinoceros, although it’s known as a large mammal. The weight is about 1,100 to 2,200 lb. they inhabit in the swamps of borneo. Its population number was planty but its been decreasing each year. Total numbers today may be as low as 80. The Sumatran rhino’s diet are leaves, fruits, twigs. The rhinos usually consume up to 110lb of food a day. Females become sexually mature at the age of six years, while males become sexually mature at about 10 years old. Their Average life span is 35 to 40 years.

population in ecosystem

Borneo has 19.8 million inhabitants, about 26 inhabitants per square km. Most of the population lives in coastal cities, although the interland has small towns and villages along the rivers. The population consists mainly of Dayak ethnic groups, Malay, Banjar, Orang Ulu, Chinese and Kadazan-Dusun. There are so many cultures and religions like Islam, Protestanism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism. Life expectancy for Men is 60 years, and for Women is 64 years.

primary and secondary succession

primary succescinon

A land near the coastal area of the rainforest is full of rocks. These rocks slowly erode and become soil. As the amount of soil slowly grows it helps smaller plants to grow. These small plants become small shrubs and bushes. Meanwhile the simple plants increase in quantity, the area becomes a food source for primary consumers which becomes a food source for a higher level of consumers. Larger plants start to grow which slowly increases the biodiversity of the area. This process takes about hundred to thousands of years

secondary succescion

A accidental forest fire broke out and burned all the existing community in the area. In the secondary succession, the area returns very slowly to how it originally was. And as time passes, the area will grow and recover. And as the area recovers, it slowly becomes a good environment for larger organisms due to the smaller organisms that were there at the commencing of the secondary succescion.

Biome with climatogram

Rain falls from December through March, and the dry weather is from June through September. Borneo is never cold because it is right on the equator. Borneo is generally warm and humid. This biome is Tropical. Borneo is in Southeastern Asia, Malaysia and Indonesia. There are 183.68 million acres in the Borneo lowland rainforest. Borneo has Temperatures averaging from 77 degrees fahrenhiet – 91.4 degrees Fahrenheit on daytime and rarely dropps below 68 degrees Fahrenheit at night, except in the mountains There is no particular time for rainfall in Borneo, it can occur anytime of the year. The weather conditions always varies, a rainy day can turn into a sunny bright one in no time. Rainfall varies from about 60 inches to over 180 inches per year.

fresh/salt water systems

Borneo’s water sources consist of rainwater, swamps and rivers. The Peat swamps of Borneo are fed by rain. The peat swamp depend on climate, topographic conditions, natural subsoil and other solids. They can be up to 20m deep with low pH (2.9 – 4) and have low nutrients. The water is dark brown by fallen leaves and peat. One reason for the low nutrient conditions is that streams and rivers do not flow into the inner forests where the swamps are located. The only input of nutrients is from rainfall, natural solids and minerals from the soil. Rainfall and evaporation is important in borneo’s hydrology. The annual rainfall is much higher than the annual evaporation.

The Kinabatangan river is the highest freshwater source for most of borneo’s population. It is a main food source, because there is plenty of fish and a wide-diversity of species although they are currently being disturbed by palm oil plantations, deforestation, invasive species, and over-fishing. The Kapuas river is also a major water source for borneo’s transportation, with a length of 710 mi. it is a major waterway, connecting the center of the island with its western coast. The large river supports intensive cargo and passenger shipping.

The largest river is the Mahakam, which has a drainage area of roughly 78,000 km2. It has steep gradients and rapids in the upper land level settings. The middle extends between Long Bagun and Long Iram which flows fast through long valleys. The lower (in the valleys) its still flows, but its pretty steady.

Borneo is surrounded by the South China Sea, the Sulu Sea, the Celebes Sea and the Makassar Strait to the east, and the Java Sea and Karimata Strait to the south. but they are not so commonly used by the borneo poulation.

geological structures (mountains, valleys, ect.)

Borneo lowland rainforests consists of limestones, volcanic rocks, and sedimentary rocks. Most people like to live in rainforests because of there fruits, vegetables, tree saps, medicines, and nuts. To the west of Borneo it is Malay Peninsula and Sumatra. To the south and east there are islands of Indonesia: Java and Sulawesi. To the northeast there are Philippine islands. Borneo has an area of 743,330 square kilometres (287,000 sq mi). Its highest point is Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia, with an elevation of 4,095 m (13,435 ft). They also have some of the largest river systems. Borneo also has a variety of beautiful dangerous caves. Clearwater Cave, for example, has one of the world's longest underground rivers or like Deer Cave is home to over three million bats.

There are about 15,000 species of flowering plants with 3,000 species of trees, 221 species of terrestrial mammals and 420 species of resident birds, about 440 freshwater fish species in Borneo. They have the biggest flower named Rafflesia arnoldii, it is up to 1 meter in diameter and the weight can be up to 24.2 pounds.

Significant issues

Borneo’s rainforests are being cut and degraded for timber, palm oil, pulp, rubber and minerals. The increase of activity has made wildlife trade illegal. Logging, land-clearing have also become some of the greatest threats to Borneo. Illegal logging has been a positive affect to the economy, it is sold to collectors and processed in huge sawmills. Top-quality ancient trees are being cut down for all sorts of industrial and otherwise commercial use. Most of this timber is being exported to Asian and Western markets alike.

Satellite studies show that 56% of protected lowland tropical rainforests in Kalimantan were cut down between 1985 and 2001 to supply global timber demand (which is more than 29,000 km²) (almost the size of Belgium). The growth of oil palm plantation had become one of the biggest causes of deforestation because there is so much global demand for it. The oil palm production expanded from 600,000 hectares in 1985 to over 6 million hectares by 2007.

Because there is so much human activity these forests dry out. In the highlands of Borneo, the risks of fires are still small as few people live in this forested area. But with forest clearance progressing in several places in Borneo, the risk of fire is increasing.

Habitat destruction is also a main reason because of the increase in the human population. The rainforest land is being used as agriculture land for farming and destroying thousands of animals and their habitats. The rainforest species are at risk of extinction.

Pollutants are causing the animals who rely on air, water and food to become extinct quiker. Pollution of the water is why animals are dying at a fast rate. In 1950, almost all of Borneo's territory was covered in rainforest. By 2005, at least 30% - 40% of the island's forest cover has been destroyed for good.

Organizations that help!
  • Orangutan Foundation International (OFI) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of wild orangutans and their rainforest habitat. They support research on orangutans and forests and brings awareness concerning orangutans wherever they can. they have partnered with World Education as well as other groups that are working to counter the primary threats to orangutan survival throughout Indonesia. One of the top priority issues OFI works on in Indonesia is to Stop illegal logging, mining, and forest conversion.

How can you help!? - Donations from a supporters or volunteering for OFI which is a fun way to get directly involved with thier mission to save wild orangutans. OFI offers long term and short term volunteer positions at facilities in Borneo, or you can help right from your home.

  • WWF is an organization that works in 100 countries and is supported by 1.2 million members in the United States and 5 million globally. WWF collaborates with local communities, industry, and governments to stop or at least decrease human-wildlife conflict. WWF is unfolding a conservation plan with the governments of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, and Malaysia to protect Borneo.

how can you help?! - Adopt an animal (receive more accurate info on their website) you can also make a donation

  • The Heart of Borneo Rainforest Foundation is works to protect the biological, ecological, and cultural richness of the rainforests of Borneo. The Heart of Borneo Rainforest Foundation was formed to support the conservation of the rainforests of Borneo.

how can you help?! - make a donation. You can also LIKE//FOLLOW//SUBSCRIBE in social media (facebook, instagram twitter)

  • Rainforest Rescue is a nonprofit organization actively committed to preserving rainforests, protecting their inhabitants, and furthering social reforms. Since 1986, they have been interfering with business interests of timber, oil, mining companies and corrupt politicians. They also organize protest actions against rainforest destruction.

how can you help?! - make a donation

work cited

http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/borneo_forests/

http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/borneo_forests/about_borneo_forests/borneo_animals/borneo_plants/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodiversity_of_Borneo#Biodiversity_factors_in_Borneo

http://www.tropical-rainforest-animals.com/borneo-rainforest.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borneo#Recent_history

http://www.worldwildlife.org/places/borneo-and-sumatra

http://wilsonconservationecology.com/our-research/research-projects/borneo/

http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/borneo_forests/about_borneo_forests/ecosystems/

http://data.mongabay.com/borneo.html

http://www.forestsoftheworld.com/Forests/Borneo/

http://earthwatch.org/expeditions/climate-and-landscape-change-in-borneos-rainforest

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/11/borneo/white-text

http://www.worldlandtrust.org/projects/malaysia

Created By
Jocelyne Mendez
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