Endangered Species

An article about an endangered species

orangutans

A movie about other endangered species

Help Endangered Species

Movies on how you can save endangered animals

Save Endangered Species

Save Endangered Species While You Vacation

Release Agents

A release agent is anything that releases carbon or carbon dioxide. One example of a release agent is a forest fire because when anything burns, carbon dioxide is released. Another example of a release agent is an erupting volcano. Up to 40% of the gases released by volcanoes is carbon dioxide. It is estimated that volcanoes release about 130 - 230 million tons of carbon dioxide into the air each year. Another example is when when a base is combined with an acid to produce a type of salt. For example, baking soda and vinegar releases carbon dioxide, which makes the solution bubble and "explode".

Videos

Rainforest Biome
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbQ0OhD3Ljk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uToXTRBD0OA&feature=related

Rainforest Animals
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xN7bPTz7gw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29ofgbTELbQ

How Carbon Sources are Harmful

There are two ways carbon sources could be harmful. One way is when they release toxins and pollutants into the air. When, lets say a factory, produces its product, it uses up energy from coal or gas and lets the remaining pollutants into the air. Factories produce a large amount of the worlds carbon. Other examples of bad carbon sources, are trains and cars. When a car runs, the leftover toxins go into the air and ruins the atmosphere. And now because we have a lot of cars in the street, there are a lot of pollutants in the air. Another bad part of carbon sources is deforestation. When people cut or burn down trees to make room for farm land, the trees let out carbon dioxide. When being burned, the trees can no longer soak up carbon dioxide with photosynthesis from the atmosphere. By adding more carbon dioxide to the environment and not being able to soak up carbon dioxide, deforestation will contribute to global warming. And after you cut or burn down trees, primary consumers living there will die because of the loss of resources that the tree. provides. When the primary consumers die from starvation, secondary consumers die from the loss of primary consumers and every other organism living in forest where the trees were cut down die from starvation. Because humans were so careless about the trees and organisms living in the environment, the animals are going into extinction and we are causing climate change.

Carbon Sources

Carbon sources are anything that produces carbon or carbon dioxide. An example is a factory. Carbon dioxide is a bad effect of large factories. Factories produce a large percentage of the world's carbon. It creates an unhealthy atmosphere that could harm both humans and animals. Another large carbon source is through plant and animal decay. When an animal or plant dies, microorganisms such as bacteria break it down. In this process, a large amount of carbon dioxide is released. Another example of a carbon source is someone breathing. When a human or other animal breathes out, it releases the carbon dioxide that it has produced. For this reason, if there are too many people or animals in a small enclosed space, the air gets "stuffy", which means that there is too much carbon dioxide and too little oxygen. On the other hand, producers, such as trees, "exhale" oxygen, so it helps to keep the atmosphere healthy. So, it would be good to plant a lot of trees to replace the trees that we cut down.

Carbon Sinks

Carbon dioxide is the gas that is used by plants in photosynthesis and animals exhale it. Other things are called carbon sinks, where carbon comes out is matter that has from a recently living organism. A carbon source is a process that removes more carbon dioxide from the air than it releases. For example, long lived trees and soak up carbon dioxide, while letting carbon dioxide out. Some other Carbon sinks include limestone, shells, plastic, burial of organic matter, and long lived trees. Forests, soil, the atmosphere ,and oceans also serve as carbon sinks.

Quiz

1. What is a producer?
a. a carnivore
b. an herbivore
c. a plant

2. What is a primary consumer?
a. a carnivore
b. an herbivore
c. a plant

3. What is a secondary consumer?
a. a carnivore
b. an herbivore
c. a plant

4. What is an example of a decomposer in the tropical rainforest?
a. an earthworm
b. howler monkey
c. a jambu tree
d. red bellied black snake

5. What is an example of a producer in the tropical rainforest?
a. an earthworm
b. howler monkey
c. a jambu tree
d. red bellied black snake

6. What is an example of a primary consumer in the tropical rainforest?
a. an earthworm
b. howler monkey
c. a jambu tree
d. red bellied black snake

7. What is an example of a secondary consumer in the tropical rainforest?
a. an earthworm
b. howler monkey
c. a jambu tree
d. red bellied black snake

8. What is the major source of energy on Earth's surface?

a. the moon

b.the sun

c. Mars