Animals
Plants
Climate
Interesting Facts
Tropical Rain Forest
As you can see from the map to the right, the tropical rainforests are, indeed, located in the tropics, a band around the equator from 23.5 N (the Tropic of Cancer) to 23.5 S (the Tropic of Capricorn) (red lines on map, right). Because the Earth tilts 23.5 degrees on its axis as it travels around the sun, at some point in the year (the solstices, June 22nd in the north, December 22nd in the south) the sun will be directly overhead on one of these lines. At the equinoxes the sun is directly over the equator. Within this band, solar radiation is most intense, and thus the surface of the planet warms the most. The warmth leads to a lot of evaporation, and as warm, moist air rises, it cools, the water condenses, and the water falls back to the earth as rain. Thus, the warmest areas of the planet also tend to be the wettest, and this sets the stage for the tropical rain forest. Not all of the land in the tropics is tropical rainforest.
Plants of the Tropical Rainforests
Tropical Rainforests T ropical rainforests are the wettest places on earth Billions of different kids of animals and plants live in tropical rainforests The tropical rainforests have billions of species (kinds) of plants and animals, more than anywhere else on Earth. Scientists do not yet know all the species that are to be found in a tropical rainforest and new ones are still being discovered. The reason there are so many species is because rainforests are very old, some almost 100 million years old, which means dinosaurs probably lived in them. In the tropics it is always hot and it rains every day. Tropical rainforest plants Some canopy trees grow over to over 100 metres high. Many 'every day' foods originated in rainforests, including tomatoes, peppers, corn, rice, coconut, banana, coffee, cocoa, cassava (tapioca), beans and sweet potatoes. Because the weather is hot and wet, trees do not need thick bark to slow down moisture loss and have instead thin, smooth bark. us@kidcyber.com.au
Earth Floor: Biomes
Tropical Rainforest: Plants Although tropical rainforests receive 12 hours of sunlight daily, less than 2% of that sunlight ever reaches the ground. The tropical rainforest has dense vegetation, often forming three different layers--the canopy, the understory, and the ground layer. Frequently, people think of the tropical rainforest as a "jungle" where plant growth is dense even at ground level. However, the canopy created by the tall trees (100-120 feet) and the understory, prevents sunlight from reaching the ground. The soil is, therefore, always shaded, and very little vegetation is able to survive at ground level. Vegetation can become dense at ground level near riverbanks and on hillsides. Plant adaptation Plant survival in a tropical rainforest depends on the plant's ability to tolerate constant shade or to adapt strategies to reach sunlight. Competition for sunlight by plants is sometimes deadly. Back | Next
About the Rainforest - Information and Facts on Tropical Rainforests, Save the Rain Forest | Rainforest Adventures
The role of the rainforest transcends scientific definitions. Even though only 7% of the world’s original rain forests remain, more than half of the planet’s species still live there. This wealth of life benefits us every day. Scientists are constantly discovering new uses for endemic plants, including many breakthrough drugs, while still less than one percent of the world’s rainforest have been explored for pharmaceutical properties. Simply put, rainforests are the Earth’s lungs. Additionally many food items you enjoy every day originally came from rainforest across the globe. Due to deforestation, some 100 species will become extinct every day – many of them are still undiscovered and their qualities will be lost forever.
Rainforest animals: Zoom Rainforests
Advertisement. EnchantedLearning.com is a user-supported site. As a bonus, site members have access to a banner-ad-free version of the site, with print-friendly pages.Click here to learn more. (Already a member? A Sampling of Tropical Rainforest Animals Rainforests are very dense, warm, wet forests. Where are Rainforests? Strata of the Rainforest Different animals and plants live in different parts of the rainforest. EMERGENTS: Giant trees that are much higher than the average canopy height. Click on an animal or other rainforest topic for a printout or information on that animal:
Rainforest Biomes
The tropical rain forest is a forest of tall trees in a region of year-round warmth. An average of 50 to 260 inches (125 to 660 cm.) of rain falls yearly. Rain forests belong to the tropical wet climate group. Rainforests now cover less than 6% of Earth's land surface. A tropical rain forest has more kinds of trees than any other area in the world. About 1/4 of all the medicines we use come from rainforest plants. All tropical rain forests resemble one another in some ways. Despite these differences, each of the three largest rainforests--the American, the African, and the Asian--has a different group of animal and plant species. Layers of the Rainforest There are four very distinct layers of trees in a tropical rain forest. Emergent trees are spaced wide apart, and are 100 to 240 feet tall with umbrella-shaped canopies that grow above the forest. Plant Life Besides these four layers, a shrub/sapling layer receives about 3 % of the light that filters in through the canopies. Animal Life
The average temperature in the rainforest is about 30C, 80F it changer very little through out the year
Tropical Rainforest The rainforest that we have chosen to do our project on is in and is called the Amazon Rainforest. You can see on the picture in the upper left corner that the Amazon is the dark green area on the map. This zone which covers much of the northern half of that is east of the and north of the which centers at the equator. In an average year in a tropical rainforest, the climate is very humid do to all of the rain which amounts to about 250cm per year. The climate is found near the equator. 40o F. This is red fungus (Pycnoporus sanguineus) these would be classified in the Fungi kingdom. This is white fungus (Lentinus) and it would be classified in the Fungi kingdom. This is the fern leaf. This is the Cattleya Plant. This is the Toco Toucan. This is the vampire bat. This is Euglena. This is an Actinopod. Howler Monkey The howler monkey is the loudest monkey in the rainforest. The howler monkey can get up to 2ft and there tail 30”. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 1. www.earthobservatory
Ten Amazing Rainforest Plants
Our surroundings are sometimes taken for granted. Even something as unique as the rainforest is forgotten. It seems a little bit of knowledge and a shove in the right direction can get people to appreciate the environment. So, why not start with the wonder that is the rainforest? Even though rainforests only cover less than two percent of the Earth’s entire surface area, they are home to 50 percent of the plants and animals. They are also found on every continent, except Antarctica. You’re probably thinking “I know all there is to know about bananas; I eat them for breakfast and can make delicious banana bread.” Habitation: Found in Central America, South America, Africa, Southeast Asia and non-tropical regions like the United States thanks to modern agricultural technologies. Known for their beauty, orchids are the largest family of plants in the world. What would you do if you couldn’t have that cup of coffee in the morning? Want some more amazing rainforest galleries?
TROPICAL RAINFOREST FACTS
