Which organisms can be found in the Manuel Antonio National Park rainforest ecosystem?
Producers
Cecropias
Also known as the trumpet tree (8). Bully Tree
Type of tree from the order Sapotaceae and can be found in rainforests (11). |
Silk Cotton Tree
Twin silk cotton trees in Lalbagh, Bangalores (9). Sura
Also typically a very large and thick tree (12). Pilon
Several pilon trees against the shore (14). |
Cow Tree
Pictured cow tree is about 30-40 meters tall (10). Black Locust
Typically found in rainforest and is a sustainable wood (13). |
Consumers
Primary Consumers |
Cecropia Ant
A queen Azteca cecropia ant cuts into the tissue of the cecropia plant to reach its hollow center. The ants receive protection from the herbivores and are provided shelter (18). |
Red-winged Grasshopper
Only the wings of this grasshopper are red. They could be considered as the keystone species in this ecosystem (19). |
Three-Toed Sloth
Unlike the two-toed sloth, the three-toed sloth primarily eats fruits and the leaves of the cecropia trees. Their diet is herbivorous (20). |
Secondary Consumers |
Green Iguana
The green iguana is prey of the black hawk, a tertiary consumer. The green iguana likes to feed on common tink frogs (21). |
Toucan
Toucans are located in every national park in Costa Rica. As omnivores, toucans feed on the red-winged grasshopper and the leaves on the sura tree (22). |
Squirrel Monkey
Squirrel monkeys live in the canopy layer of the tropical rainforest. As omnivores, these monkeys eat insects and fruits like the toucan (23). |
White-Nosed Coati
This species is a member of the raccoon family. They are omnivorous as well and prefer to eat smaller animals (24). |
Tertiary Consumers |
Jaguar
As tertiary consumers, jaguars will eat all other consumers such as the three-toed sloth and white-nosed coati for example (25). |
Black hawk
As tertiary consumers, black hawks can eat organisms as large as toucans (26). |
Ocelot
Ocelots are actually kept as pets by many people. They are carnivores and tend to hunt the same animals as the jaguar since they are both jungle cats and tertiary consumers (27). |