Transcript Tropical Rainforest - Bioenviroclasswiki

Tropical
Rainforest
.
EMERGENTS: Giant trees that are much
higher than the average canopy height. It
houses many birds and insects.
CANOPY: The upper parts of the trees.
This leafy environment is full of life in a
tropical rainforest and includes: insects,
birds, reptiles, mammals, and more.
UNDERSTORY: A dark, cool environment
under the leaves but over the ground.
FOREST FLOOR: Teeming with animal life,
especially insects. The largest animals in
the rainforest generally live here.
Emergent Level
-Emergent layer of the rainforest is a layer of trees stretching 50 to
60 meters above the forest floor.
Canopy
-This layer supports most
of the rainforest animals.
-The canopy offers such an
abundance of shelter that
many of the animals living
in this layer never need to
descend from it.
-Insects hum and nibble on
plants, reptiles slither along
the branches and trunks of
trees, monkeys chatter
back and forth as they
swing through the
branches, and brightly
colored birds dart among
leaves.
Understory
- Made up of the trunks of
canopy trees, shrubs, plants
and smaller trees.
- Many of the plants living in
this level have adapted to
growing in the shade and don't
need much light.
Tropical Rain Forests
• Tropical rain forests are found in a belt around the
equator, where temperatures and rainfall are very high
all year round
• There is very little variation between the seasons
• They will have an even distribution of rainfall annually
• Warm temperatures with less variation during the year
• The best known rain forests are found in tropical regions
between the Tropics of cancer and Capricorn
Tropical Rain Forests
• Tropical rain forests are found in a belt around the
equator, where temperatures and rainfall are very high
all year round
• There is very little variation between the seasons
• They will have an even distribution of rainfall annually
• Warm temperatures with less variation during the year
• The best known rain forests are found in tropical regions
between the Tropics of cancer and Capricorn
The Amazon Rainforest
• One of the most well known rainforests is the
Amazon
• Where is the Amazon?
• South America
• The Amazon rainforest is the largest rainforest in
the world
• It covers an area about two thirds the size of the
US
• Two thirds of the Earth’s fresh water can be
found there
Blue and Gold Macaw
-The crown of his head is green and its belly is golden yellow and have
long tails.
- The Blue and Gold Macaw eats nuts, seeds, and fruit.
Toucan
-The toucan lives in canopy of the rain forest.
- The toucan has a very big bill. Its bill is rainbow colored.
-It has blue legs and feet.
-It colors help it hide from predators.
Blue Morpho Butterfly
-In the Rainforest they live at the top of the tallest trees, which is in the
Emergent layer (emergent layer is high-up above the canopy.)
- The Blue Morpho has blue wings with a brown border.
-The Blue Morpho’s colors blend in it’s surroundings.
Howler Monkey
- Howler monkeys have brown, black, or reddish fur and
blend in with the trees.
- The Howler monkey eats fruit, leaves, flowers, and nuts.
Jaguar
-It is black with black spots called rosettes and has a muscular
body.
- It eats turtles and Gray Snappers.
- It is the king of roaring cats.
Sloth
-Sloth’s hair is specially designed to allow algae to
effectively colonize.
-Sloth’s are covered with tan to greyish brown hairs.
- The sloth primarily eats leaves and fruit.
Where are tropical rainforests located?
Tropical rainforests are located close to the Equator between the
Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. This means that it is
always hot – between 70 and 85o F.
THE FOREST FLOOR
Very little sunlight reaches the forest floor so few plants can grow.
However, there are thousands of species of insects such as ants, beetles
and termites crawling around. This agouti paca lives on the forest floor
along with other animals such as jaguars, anteaters and snakes.
Poison Dart Frog
Bromeliad
Bromeliads have bright orange, red, blue or purple flowers. Their
leaves catch the rain like buckets. Some small frogs, snails, salamanders
and crabs may live their entire lives on a bromeliad.
Blue Morpho Butterfly
Why are rainforests so important?
Rainforests are home to more than half of the world’s plant and
animal species. Some animals can only be found in the rainforest
The rainforest plays a big role in the Earth’s climate!
Trees use carbon dioxide and provide oxygen – just the opposite of
people. By using a lot of carbon dioxide each day, rainforests keep the
temperature, humidity, rainfall and wind levels of the Earth stable. If
there is too much carbon dioxide, those things might change
Medicines
There’s a reason why rainforests are called the “world’s largest
pharmacies”! We have already developed medicines such as those
used to fight cancer, diabetes and heart diseases from rainforest plants.
More cures might be found here one day!
Bark from the Cinchona tree has been used to produce Quinine, a drug
used to prevent and treat malaria. Cinchona comes from South America.
Do you eat bananas? Do you know someone who
drinks coffee? Do you use anything made of wood?
All of these things originated in the rainforest!
Why are rainforests disappearing?
It is hard to balance the needs of people and the protection of rainforests.
With the world’s population growing every day, there is more and more
pressure on forests. Many rainforests are cut down for land to live on or
to create products that we all need, such as beef or paper. But wait – we
can still have our rainforest and eat our chocolate, too.
By asking your parents to choose products that are made in a
way that is safe for the forest and for people, you can help save
the rainforest -- and all the plants and animals we depend on and
love.
References
Websites:
•
Allin, Lisa. "Welcome to the Rainforest." 12 Feb 2007
<http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/5798/levels.html>.
•
"Sloth Industry, Sloth Info." 1995. 12 Feb 2007 <http://www.sloth.ca/sloths/two_toed_sloths.html>.
•
"Yahoo!." 2007. 12 Feb 2007 <www.yahoo.com>.
•
Col, Jeananda. Enchanted Learning. 1996. http://www.EnchantedLearning.com
•
"Rainforest." 2002. 12 Feb 2007 <http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/rforest/index.htm>.
Books:
• Marent, Thomas. Rainforest. DK ADULT : 2006.
•
•
Pratt, Kristin Joy. A Walk in the Rainforest. CA: Dawn Publications , 1992.
Bergen, Lara, and Corey Wolfe. The Rainforest Race (Go, Diego, Go! Ready to
•
Read). Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon , 2006
Castaldo, Nancy F. . Rainforests: An Activity Guide . Chicago Review Press, 2003.
.