Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Various acacias have evolved similar symbiotic relationships with other ant species
in other forests of the world.
Termites (order Isoptera) play a main role in decomposition and recycling
within the Neotropical rainforest. Termites are social animals living in large
groups. They nests in tree cavities, stumps, or on the soil surface and are a common
sight in tropical rainforests around the world. Termites have a class structure in
which individual roles are clearly defined. The colony comprises workers, soldiers,
and the queen. Termites digest wood and forest litter with the help of a complex in-
testinal community of protozoa. In this mutualistic relationship, the termites pro-
vide the single-celled organisms with food and shelter and the protozoa allow the
termite to process vast quantities of wood. Some researchers hypothesize that ter-
mites contribute to global warming since their vast populations produce large
amounts of the greenhouse gases methane and carbon dioxide as byproducts of
their digestive processes.
Neotropical butterflies and moths (order Lepidoptera) are highly diverse. A few
families, most genera, and practically all species are endemic to the Neotropical
region. Butterflies in the Neotropics include the brightly colored swallowtails, the
whites, and the blues. The whites can be white, yellow, or orange; small to medium
in size; and often present in large numbers along riverbanks. The blues are very
small butterflies with diverse natural histories. They feed on fruits, nectar, and even
animal carcasses. One, the ant butterfly, has a specific relationship with ants. The
females tend to cluster around roaming army ant hordes, feeding on the droppings
of antbirds that are also following the ant group.
The most prominent butterflies of the Neotropics are the nymphs. A large num-
ber of species have been identified in the rainforest, with as many as 1,800 described
for one area alone. Nymphs are a highly diverse group of butterflies. The largest is
the owl butterfly, which has a large eye-shaped marking on both wings. Only visible
when the wings are open, the ''eye'' serves to distract potential predators. Another
nymph, the blue morpho, is also large; it is one of the most brilliantly colored but-
terflies in the rainforests of Central and South America. The males have bright, iri-
descent blue upper wings with rather cryptic undersides. The blue morpho has a
wingspan of more than 6 in (15 cm). Many tropical butterflies feed on rotting fruit
and nectar. Many nontoxic butterflies of the Neotropics mimic toxic counterparts.
Less is known about rainforest moths. Caterpillars of tropical moths are often
plant eaters, but some are leaf miners, stem borers, flower feeders, and fruit and
seed eaters. The pyralid moth lives within the fur of sloths and lays its eggs in sloth
dung when the animals come down from the trees to defecate.
The forest hosts a vast array of beetles (order Coleoptera). Some are brightly
colored, others nondescript. Some are large, like the rhinoceros beetle, 3 in (8 cm)
in length, and recognized by its long upcurved horn-like projection (see Figure 3.8).
Others are very small. Some common beetles include horned beetles, dung and car-
rion beetles, harlequin beetles, fungus beetle, and wood-boring metallic beetles.
Cockroaches (order Blattodea) are common decomposer in the forest.
