Explain the role of human activity in producing plagio-climax communities

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Explain the role of human activity in producing plagio-climax communities

A plagio-climax community is Plagio-climax communities are a natural succession altered by human activity often affecting species in an ecosystem. There are many reasons in which humans can affect plagio-climax communities. Humans can greatly affect how plagio-climax communities produce

Firstly human disturbances in the rainforest can cause dramatic consequences. Pulp plantations can cause plagio-climax communities by removal of forests for use in paper making industry, the trees are then replaced with Rapid growing trees which are not native to the rainforest but . This means that original trees and shrub layer will be altered and nutrients from the soil replaced only in small quantities. For example in the Amazon rainforest thousands of acres of forestland are cut down for pulp. These species are then cut down and replaced by fast growing trees which produce better profits. Another example is the Amazon rainforest again where shifting cultivation occurs. Shifting cultivation is one of the main causes of plagio-climax communities. The removal of plants for ranching and crop growing means that the rich fertile soils are used and then farmers move on to land when fertility is lost. As no organic material is added back to the soil the ground becomes less fertile and only grass and plants that require little fertility grow there. Farmers continue to move when fertility is lost, destroying the rainforest and changing the ecosystem into a plagio-climax community.

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About one and a half acres of rainforest are lost every second due to human factors mainly through deforestation.  Another form of human disturbance of the rainforest is through coppicing. This is the poisoning of undesirable trees to eliminate any competition. This means that an area can wipe out unwanted trees and replace with the trees wanted. Commonly used it allows the harvesting of selected trees. Also when trees are cut down to their stumps, it allows regeneration of the whole tree. This is good because it allows the wood to be sold but dramatically changes the environment because other ...

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