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BIO 100 Rainforest Lab

Why worry about distant habitats like tropical rainforests?

OBSERVATION: Tropical rain forests are so far from Arizona they are almost mythical. We think of flocks of colorful birds, steaming undergrowth, bouquets of orchids, man-eating fish, leaping monkeys, and native people, some of whom may be headhunters. These impressions are great to watch on Animal Planet, but most of us in the developed world feel little direct connection with these strange and distant forests. However, the truth is every one of us has touched a rainforest today.

The next time you go to the grocery store, look carefully at the ingredients and products you are buying. Fruits like bananas; beverages like coffee; oils like coconut; and flavorings like black pepper, all came originally from tropical forests. In addition beautiful wood like mahogany and teak, as well as rubber, varnish, ingredients in soaps and shampoos also come from tropical trees.

Many tropical forest plants evolved chemical defenses against the insects that would eat their leaves. These active chemicals often have, by coincidence, physiological effects on us. Think of aspirin, caffeine, digitalis, and quinine. Perhaps a third or more of western medicines had their origins as plant defense chemicals, and most of these have been from tropical forests. They include chemicals to treat rheumatism, diabetes, muscle tension, malaria, heart conditions, skin diseases, arthritis, glaucoma and many other diseases. Despite our obvious dependence on tropical rainforests, nearly half of these forests have been destroyed in the last 75 years. Every time a forest patch is destroyed it is likely that a yet undiscovered medicine for a disease like uterine cancer or a food that could raise the quality of life for millions of people is lost forever.

QUESTION: What can we do to protect this source of vital commodities when we live so far away?

HYPOTHESIS: One immediate action is to consider what you buy. Harvesting products like pineapple destroys entire forests because to grow they need full sunlight in large clearings. On the other hand products like vanilla can be harvested with little or no destruction because the forest doesn’t have to be cut down for them to grow.

PREDICTION : Awareness of differing impacts of rainforest products will cause consumption patterns to change toward low impact products.

TEST : Take pictures of at least 10 tropical forest products available in your local grocery store. Go online and determine the impact each product has on the rain forest and fill in the table below.

CONCLUSIONS: Write a one-page (double-spaced) overview of the impact consumers can have on what is sold in a grocery store and if this directed consumption could have significant impact on tropical forest conservation and sustainable use. Does education change consumption patterns? What happens when an alternative product is more expensive? How willing are people to change a long-standing tradition regardless of the consequences to rain forests?



Rainforest Products Fact Sheet

NEGATIVE IMPACT

HIGH = extensive clearing and destruction of native tropical forest to harvest this product

MODERATE = some significant alteration of native tropical rain forest to harvest this

product

LOW = little or no alteration of native tropical forest to harvest this product

ALTERNATIVES

Are there other low impact products that can be used instead of moderate or high negative impact rain forest products?