Transcript TRF 2010b how does t..

Tropical Rain Forest Man-land relationship
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2 The natural TRF –
How does it look like?
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How does a tropical rainforest look like?
Evergreen
Layered
structure
Rich diversity of
plant species
(Credit: David
Woodfall / WWI /
Still Pictures)
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What characteristics of
the tropical rainforest can
you identify in this photo?
What are the characteristics of tropical
rainforests?
1
Evergreen
Tropical rainforests
are evergreen. They
grow continuously
throughout the year
An aerial view of the
tropical rainforest in Brazil
(Credit: Jim Zuckerman/Corbis)
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What are the characteristics of tropical
rainforests?
2
Layered structure
Emergent layer
Canopy layer
Tropical
rainforests
Young tree
layer
generally consist of
_______
layers.
five
Shrub layer
Undergrowth and ground layer
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What are the characteristics of tropical
rainforests?
3
Trees with special characteristics of
roots and leaves
(Credit: Gary Braasch/Corbis)
Broad-leafed
Buttress roots
above the soil
Leaves with thick waxy
surface and drip-tips
(Credit: Jacques Jangoux/Photo
Researchers, Inc.)
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Shallow roots
in the soil
What are the characteristics of tropical
rainforests?
4
Rich diversity of plant species
Tropical rainforests are
famous for their rich and
luxuriant plant species.
Trees are mostly hardwoods.
Apart from trees, there are
many other plants in a
rainforest.
(Credit: Panorama Stock
Photo Co. Ltd.)
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What are the characteristics of tropical
rainforests?
4
Rich diversity of plant species
A
Epiphytes
Small shrubs or herbs attaching
themselves to trunks and
branches, e.g. orchids
Grow in canopy layer and capture
sunlight
Harmless to the host
(Credit: H. Brehm / Blickwinkel)
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Have aerial roots to capture
moisture from the air
What are the characteristics of tropical
rainforests?
4
Rich diversity of plant species
B
Climbers
Woody plants that climb along
the trees to reach the canopy
layer for sunlight, e.g. lianas
(Credit: Pietro Cenini/Panos Pictures)
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What are the characteristics of tropical
rainforests?
4
Rich diversity of plant species
(Credit: Ron Hayes/World of Stock)
C
Saprophytes
Plants that feed on dead or
decaying organic matter such
as dead leaves and old wood,
e.g. fungi
Found in places where
sunlight cannot penetrate
(e.g. forest floor)
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What are the characteristics of tropical
rainforests?
4
Rich diversity of plant species
D
Parasites
Do not produce their own food
Grow on other host plants and
live by taking nutrients from
the host plants, e.g. ‘corpse
flowers’
‘Corpse flower’(Credit: COMPOST/Peter Arnold Inc.)
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What are the characteristics of tropical
rainforests?
4
Rich diversity of plant species
E
Stranglers
Start their life as epiphytes and
send roots down to the ground,
e.g. strangling fig
Eventually block the sunlight
and kill the host tree
Strangling fig (Credit: F. Poelking/Blickwinkel)
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What is the climate of tropical rainforests?
1
Temperature patterns
High annual mean
temperature, about _____°C
27
Located at low latitudes,
tropical rainforests
receive ( low / high )
input of solar radiation.
Hot throughout
the year
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What is the climate of tropical rainforests?
1
Temperature patterns
High annual rainfall,
usually over _______
2,000 mm
Intense sunlight during
daytime causes __________
convection
rain in the afternoon.
Rainstorm in a rainforest
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How do tropical
rainforests look like?
Why do tropical
rainforests look like this?
This reflects their
adaptation to the
equatorial climate:
1 Evergreen
Plants grow luxuriantly
under high temperatures
and with abundant rainfall
2 Layered structure
Competition for sunlight
results in different layers
of plants
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How do tropical
rainforests look like?
3 Trees with special root
and leaf characteristics
4 Rich diversity of plant
species
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Why do tropical
rainforests look like this?
• Buttress roots: strong
mechanical support for
tall trees
• Shallow roots: take
nutrients up from the
topsoil
• Leaves have a thick
waxy surface and/or driptips: to shed excess water
from leaves
A hot and wet climate
results in a rich diversity
of plant species
What animals can we find in tropical
rainforests?
Mammals
Birds
Reptiles
Amphibians
Insects
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Where do animals live in the rainforest?
The animals
tend to live in
a particular
layer in the
rainforest.
Drag the
animal on the
left onto the
layer it lives.
If the game cannot
work properly, click
here to download the
latest Adobe Flash
Player.
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What animals can we find in tropical
(Credit: Frans
rainforests?
Lanting/Corbis)
Many rainforest animals
use different ways to
protect themselves.
Camouflage: in
order to hide
(Credit: Michael & Patricia
Fogden/Corbis)
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Special structure:
in order to escape
Bright colour: to
indicate poisonous
(Credit: Rhett A.
Butler/mongabay.com)
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© Oxford University Press 2009
2
Layered structure
Emergent layer
Height:
up to _____
50 metres
Tall, straight and smooth
trunks
Umbrella shape for full
exposure to sunlight
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2
Layered structure
Canopy layer
Height:
ranging from _____
20 to
_____
35 metres
Oval-shaped crowns
Close and continuous
canopy blocks sunlight
from penetrating down to
the forest floor
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2
Layered structure
Young tree layer
Height:
seldom exceeds _____
15
metres
Conical-shaped crowns
Trees die easily due to
insufficient sunlight
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2
Layered structure
Shrub layer
Height:
less than ____
5 metres
Mostly woody shrubs
Heliconia is found in the shrub
layer in tropical rainforests
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2
Layered structure
Undergrowth and
ground layer
Only little undergrowth,
e.g. mosses and fungi
Little availability of
sunlight
Mushrooms are a kind of fungus found
on the forest floor
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© Oxford University Press 2009