Introduction
Biodiversity is the various amounts of interconnected species in an area. High levels of biodiversity help environments flourish and provide resources and services for life in the area. The Biodiversity hotspot we selected was Mesoamerica, an area that contains dry forests, swamps, mangrove forests, coniferous forests at high altitudes, and to the east of the mountains there are subtropical wet forests and rain forests.Background Information
In the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot the region contains a multiple of different countries. Some of these countries include Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rico, Panama and Honduras. Since this region has many countries there is a big mixture of cultures. Though the main nationality of Mesoamericans is pre-Columbian with a variety of spanish dialects there is also a big mixture of native cultures. These include cultures like Aztec, Mayan, Olmec and Teotihuacan which all originated near the Mesoamerican region.
Mesoamerica is the third largest Biodiversity hotspot in the world. With that being said, this hotspot has more than a diversity of vegetation and animals. Throughout this area the region varies from tropical forests to dry arctic zones in the high mountains. Having swamps , beaches and highlands to lowlands. All through these areas it can show the variety of areas within Mesoamerica. These different biomes can be categorized into five main geographic areas: the Mayan region, Oaxacan zone, the central Highlands, West Mexico, and the Gulf Region(The Mesoamerican Center 2015).
Since Mesoamerica is located in mid latitude (between 10 and 22N) the region has earned the name “Middle America”. Due to this hotspot being near the equator the hotspot has characteristics of a tropical forest throughout the region. However the climate can change from lowland to highland.
Figure 2: Peten Lowlands (Lowland Mesoamerica)
Figure 3: Oaxaca, Hierve El Agua (Highland Mesoamerica)
Mesoamerican Food Web & Table of Species Richness
Figure 4: Coral Reef Food Web
Figure 5: Tropical Forest Food Web
These food webs depicts the two main ecosystems in the Mesoamerican region, tropical forests and coral reefs. Though the Mesoamerican Hotspot has a variety of different ecosystems these two have the biggest impact on the region. Coral reefs having the biggest influences with economical services (because of the variety of different fish species). While tropical forests uses environmental services with the large amounts of vegetation across the region.
Figure 6: Species Richness Table
Mesoamerica is classified as a biodiversity hotspot because of its extensive amount of wildlife around the area. It has species of trees and plants that are endemic to the land and are found nowhere else. These plants and trees are used for economic purposes such as for logging, and getting timber, as well as for agriculture reasons such as producing coffee. Many of the animals in that area are also endemic of the 440 mammals in Mesoamerica over 65 of those are endemic, that’s around 15 percent (Conservation international 2015).
In this table the biodiversity of Mesoamerica is greatly shown here. Each section of this table conveys the species richness of vegetation throughout the ecosystem. Even though this table is a small sample of the region's vegetation, it still gives an overall overview of the hotspot richness and growth. Due to this observation from this table researches can see the total amount of the vegetation and how it is expected to grow.
Discussion
Mesoamerica is classified as a biodiversity hotspot because of its extensive amount of wildlife around the area. It has species of trees and plants that are endemic to the land and are found nowhere else. These plants and trees are used for economic purposes such as for logging, and getting timber, as well as for agriculture reasons such as producing coffee. Many of the animals in that area are also endemic of the 440 mammals in Mesoamerica over 65 of those are endemic, that’s around 15 percent (Conservation international 2015).
In Mesoamerica, the ecosystem provides many natural economic and ecological services to it’s environment. The Mesoamerican reef offers a majority of these services. Over 60 types of coral create a reef that provides a home for over 500 species of fish, greatly increasing biodiversity in the area. Various species of sea turtles attract the world's largest congregation of whale sharks which provide for ecotourism, and are indicator species since they live where there’s an abundance of plankton. Between one to two million people rely on the resources and services provided by the area’s marine ecosystems for food and income And on the shores, Mangrove forests on the coat help protect the land areas from erosion and flooding from storms (WWF.org, 2015).
Due to economic reasons the Mesoamerica has experienced some of the worst deforestation and habitat degradation in recent years from 1980 to 1990 the annual deforestation rate has been 1.4% and it is estimated that at least 80% of the areas habitat has been destroyed or seriously altered. People of Mesoamerica add to the degradation of the land due to their ways of living they are farmers and rely heavily on agriculture for food and income. They also depend on mining for employment to sustain their families (Conservation international 2015). The issues of climate change and over fishing have changed the underwater ecosystems of Mesoamerica and are threatening plants and animals that call the ocean their home. Plant migration in the ocean is an essential part to animal migration. With the changing climates the migration patterns that most marine life had become used to has changed and some species that relied on those plants are now struggling to survive. Over fishing has also been a problem in the Mesoamerica region for example the spotted spiny lobster has been on the rapid decline with increasing demand for the lobster.
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| Coral reef in Mesoamerica located on the coast of Belize. Part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef system. |
Conclusion
The Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot is one of the most important region in the world. Everyday the Mesoamerican reefs gives food and and other important nutrients to millions of people. Without these economical and environmental services human populations that depend on these services will not be able to sustain itself. If we do not take the precautions in preserving this important ecosystem the effects can be catastrophic to not only Mesoamerica, but the global. We all depend on Biodiversity Hotspots and even if we lose one, we all suffer.Worked Cited
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