Tropical Rainforest Where are tropical rainforests found? Tropical rainforests are located around the equator where temperatures stay near 80 degrees year round. Rainforests receive 160 to 400 inches (400-1000 cm) of rain each year. The largest rainforests are in Brazil (South America), Zaire (Africa) and Indonesia (South East Asia). What is the tropical rainforest? The Tropical Rainforest is a forest occurring in tropical areas of heavy rainfall. What is the structure of vegetation in the rainforest? The image above shows a typical cross section in the rainforest. Emergents are the tallest trees and are usually over 50 metres tall. The sea of leaves blocking out the sun from the lower layers is called the canopy. The under canopy mainly contains bare tree trunks and lianas. The shrub layer has the densest plant growth. The forest floor is usually dark and damp. How did the tropical rainforest get like this? The high rainfall and year-round high temperatures are ideal conditions for vegetation growth. Local:
NASA: Earth Observatory Temperature 20°C to 25°C, must remain warm and frost-free Precipitation 2,000 to 10,000 millimeters of rain per year Vegetation Vines, palm trees, orchids, ferns Location Between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn Other There are two types of rainforests, tropical and temperate. Example: Campa Pita, Belize Description There are two types of rainforests, tropical and temperate. The tropical rainforest is a hot, moist biome where it rains all year long. Rainforest Concern Facts For a downloadable booklet of rainforest facts and other materials for use in the classroom, please go to Resources for Schools Tropical rainforests - where and what are they? Tropical rainforests are found across the world between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer, 22.5° North and 22.5° South of the Equator. Almost half of the remaining tropical rainforest is found in tropical America, a bit more than a third in Asia and Oceania, and fifteen percent in Africa. Tropical rainforests cover approximately 8% of the world’s land surface - an area of approximately 1.2 billion hectares - and yet contain over half of the earth’s species of animals and plants. The LAYERS OF THE RAINFOREST The rainforest is divided into four main layers: the emergent layer consists of the tallest trees (emergent trees) which can grow to heights of 70m.
Why Is Biodiversity Important? Who Cares? It was noted earlier that ecosystems provide many services to us, for free. Although some dislike the thought of trying to put an economic value on biodiversity (some things are just priceless), there have been attempts to do so in order for people to understand the magnitude of the issue: how important the environment is to humanity and what costs and benefits there can be in doing (or not doing) something. The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) is an organization — backed by the UN and various European governments — attempting to compile, build and make a compelling economics case for the conservation of ecosystems and biodiversity. In a recent report, The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity for National and International Policy Makers 2009, TEEB provided the following example of sectors dependent on genetic resources: In addition, it is estimated that implementing REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) could help
BBC Nature - Rainforest videos, news and facts Rain Forest Facts and Information Found in the tropical climate near the equator, rain forests make up six percent of the earth's land surface, but produce 40 percent of its oxygen. The rain forest is made up of four layers: emergent, upper canopy, understory, and forest floor. Emergent trees grow far apart and tall, their branches reaching above the canopy. The upper canopy houses most of the rain forest's animal species, and forms a roof that blocks most light from reaching below it. The understory, usually shaded and home to bushes and shrubs as well as the branches of canopy trees. The forest floor is in complete shade, meaning there is little likelihood of plants growing there and making it easy to walk through the forest. Deforestation Recently, deforestation has reduced the amount of rain forest present around the globe. Biologists worry about the long-term consequences. Why "Rain" Forests? The rain forest is nearly self-watering. Benefits of Rain Forest Plants