Pharmaceutical companies are interested in "bioprospecting" in tropical rain forests. These companies are looking for naturally occurring compounds in plants or animals that can be used as drugs for a variety of diseases. The most promising compounds act as antibacterial or antifungal agents. Even discounting the fact that the higher density of species in tropical rain forests would produce a wider array of newer compounds than another biome, why would antibacterials and antifungal compounds be more likely to evolve in this particular biome?
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Global warming is predicted by many scientists to lead to a partial melting of glaciers at the north and south poles and a rise in sea level. Among the many places that will be impacted by such as rise are the estuaries that now serve as breeding grounds for many birds and fish. While it is impossible to predict exactly how different estuaries would change in response to an increase in sea level, what are some possibilities that can be predicted based on the general structure of estuaries?
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