This report will be about the tropical rainforests that can be found throughout the world. Including The location, animals, climate, Plants and the people who live there.
Climate Location
There are many locations of rainforests that are spread around the globe some of which being in Central and South America, Central Africa and South East Asia to name a few and are generally found near the equator. The climate in these areas can be described as humid due to the fact they are hot and wet all year round. The climate graph, shows data from the Amazon rainforest. The month with the most rainfall is in March with over 300 cm and the least rainfall happens in August with under 5 cm. The rainfall total in this type of forest is extremely high and it rains daily with little temperature variation. With the highest monthly temperature reaching 29 degrees Celsius in some places this occurred during September and the lowest monthly temperature is 26 in December making the annual temperature range 2 degrees.
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The canopy
The rainforest canopy is split into four distinct layers each with its own qualities and adaptions and over 90% of the worlds species can be found in rainforests. The lowest layer is the forest floor- This layer is dark and covered by trees.
The forest floor is widely known to be covered in a thick layer of dead and decaying roots and leaves. This area has little live vegetation due to the lack of sunlight, space between trees and the fact that its highly prone to flooding and rainfall. Species like jaguars live here.
The layer above the forest floor is known as the under canopy layer and is known to by a lot cooler and shaded. Little light is the cause of the dormant plants that lie until the trees die off. Vines can be found attaching to the ground and climbing to the sunlight.
The second highest layer is known as the canopy layer (A layer of trees between 20-40m tall) and is home to most of the animals that are in the rainforest such as snakes and birds to name a few. This is the main location for year-round fruit.
The highest layer is known as the emergent layer and this has the tallest trees that can grow up to 60 m tall! This is the area that receives the most sunlight and are made stable by buttress roots that stop them blowing over.
Plants
Many plants can be found in the rainforest like fruits, trees and roots to name a few I have decided to research carnivorous plants and buttress roots.
Buttress roots are a support system for trees and can gather nutrients and deliver them to where there needed. They have shallow root systems as an adaption to the rainforest soil.
Carnivorous plants are plants that eat meat and trap their victims. One adaption they have made is to get their needed nutrients from insects they eat.
Animal adaptations
They are many different types of animals that call the rainforest their home some include snakes, insects, and monkeys. The ones I have written about include the howler monkey and sloth.
The sloth lives in the canopy layer of the rainforest that keeps them safe from predatory animals like jaguars and tigers and can be found in the forests in Central and South America. Leaves are the main part of the sloths diet the reason for this is that they have a slow metabolism and can sustain a diet that low in nutrients and calories. Sloths have adapted to allow their feet and hands to lock into place giving them the opportunity to hang upside down for extended periods of time without consuming energy. One of the concealment efforts sloths use is the green algae that grows on its fur.
The howler monkey has an extraordinary sense of smell and have the capability to smell vegetation like fruits and nuts from over two kilometres away! Howler monkeys tail is usually the same size a the body allowing it to grab onto items like branches. Male howler monkeys are the loudest animal in the rainforest allowing them to communicate several miles apart a reasons for this might be territorial and to tell others not to come near their territory.
What the rainforest provides and the impacts of climate change.
The rainforest provides us with many things including food, medicines and raw materials. Food can come in many forms one of which Is coffee that can be soled at a profit the other being nuts forming the diet of the local Brazilian people. Medicines such as treatment for leukaemia can be found in the rainforest because of the potentially poisonous rosy periwinkle. Oil palm plantations and logging provide us with the luxuries of garden furniture, cosmetic and confectionery products are all raw material collected from the Indonesian rainforest. Deforestation threats are high in the aazon basin for five main reasons:
- Farming- a high demand for meat has forced area of the forest to be cleared-
- Logging- Trees are cut down so that furniture can be sold
- Mining- the amazon bason is rich with resources like iron mines manganese and gold among other materials.
- Population- With population increases forests have to cleared for infrastructure.
- Roads- the roads for the locals have meant in rainforest being destroyed.
- Hydroelectric power- the dam in brazil has resulted in 920 square miles of rainforest being flooded.
The impacts of losing the rainforest are the loss of biodiversity, Climate change and Economic development.
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