Transcript Tropical Rain Forest - Mercer Island School District

Tropical Rain Forest
Sydney Zeldes, Audrey Marr, Miranda Ho
RAINFOREST ALLIANCE
Tropical Rainforest: luscious,
warm & exotic
MAPS
Tropical Rainforest
Locations
Features of the biome
High biodiversity
Many available
niches
Little to no wind
Can be dark under
rainforest canopy
Climate
Climate (continued)
Tropical Climate
No dry season
Avg. yearly precipitation: 250
cm
Humid, rainy, hot, wet
4 cm rain/ month
Avg. temp: 77F
Tropical Rainforest Average Yearly Temperature and
Rainfall
Landscape
*Covers less than 6% of Earth’s land surface.
*Tropical rainforest produce 40% of earth’s oxygen.
*100 to 300 species in one 2 ½-acre area in South America.
*3 largest rainforest: the American, the African and the Asian.
*The majority of trees have smooth, think bark because there is no need to protect them
from water loss and freezing temperature.
*Plants grow really fast that they consume the nutrients from the decomposed leaf litter.
*Most of the nutrients are in the trees than in the soil.
*Soil are infertile and acidic due to weathering.
*Humid
*Contain over 15 million species of plants and animals live within the biome.
*The forest is divided into different layers/ strata. Each layer contains unique plants and
animals.
Forest floor: receive only 2% sunlight, clear of vegetation, fungi’s growing
Understory layer: shrubs, herbs. Small trees, and large woody vine, 5% sunlight.
Canopy: primary layer, large trees, dense are of biodiversity, 90% of organisms
Emergent layer: small number of very large trees grows above the canopy, 100 to 240 feet
tall trees.
Seasonal Information
Weather wise, the best time to visit the tropical rainforest is
during spring, fall, and wintertime because the temperature
is won’t be as hot and humid as the summer time.
Humid and hot year long except it is the worst during
summer time.
Frequent rainfall
The best time to see the animals is during springtime.
Levels of the Forest
Unique Features
*Occur near the equator
*The layered system
*High biodiversity
*Over 25% of natural
medicines have been
discovered in the rainforest
*Hot/ warm and humid year
long
Plants
Trees are tall
Grow up to 275 feet for competition for light
Do not lose leaves
Topsoil is thin
Largest trees are anchored by large horizontal roots
(buttresses)
Leaves are large and long
High rate of photosynthesis is required to survive
competition for nutrients, light and space.
Very high productivity of both plants and animals
Produces more mass of both plants and animals than
other types of forests.
Adaptations
camouflage
coloring to warn predators
that they are poisonous
brightly colored animals ate
just bluffing
fight for food, sunlight, and
space-some birds develop
strong beaks to crack open
tough nut shells
Tourist Activities
*Hike to a lake to see giant lilypads.
*Excursions to see feeding or nesting Macaws, Parrots
and Toucans.
*Hike to a manakin lek.
*Jungle survival training.
*Visit native communities.
*Visit conservation projects
*View a diversity of primate species.
*Bathe under a small waterfall in a glade filled with
orchids.
*Insect collecting.
*Evening lake boat trips to view southern constellations
and nocturnal wildlife, such as boat-billed herons,
potoos, owl monkeys and more.
*Search for boa constrictors and other snakes.
*View brilliant tropical fish such as cichlids, angel fish,
tetras, etc.
Environmental Issue
•
•
The Human interactions with the tropical
rainforest has been disastourous almost
destroying the forest and killing many animals in
the process. The human interactions have been
negative, they have cut down thousands of acres
football fields worth. Furthermore, the vast
climate change due to human and other
interfering changes has vastly damaged the
tropical rainforest.
-Cutting Down Trees
-Animal exploitation/ Hunting
-Climate Change