Tropical rainforest

Climate Tropical rainforests are always humid and warm Get about 200 to 450 cm of rain a year Located on a belt around the earth near the equator – They receive strong sunlight and maintain a relatively constant temperature year round The tropical forest covers about 7% of Earth’s surface.

Tropical Rainforest Facts Tropical rainforests grow on top of very poor soil, most nutrients are found in the plants Some fungi actually live directly on the tree to transfer the nutrients from the decaying matter directly to the tree Many trees have above ground roots to provide support in the thin soil

With your group interpret what this image is saying be ready to share out.

Emergent layer Emergent layer – tallest layer these trees grow far above the other trees.

The Canopy Trees form a dense layer that absorbs almost 95% of the sunlight Split into an upper canopy and a lower canopy the lower canopy. There are special plants that grow in this layer called epiphytes (ex. Orchids) – They grow on trees instead of the ground where they can get the sunlight needed for photosynthesis – These plants also absorb the water that runs down the tree branches when it rains Most animals that live in the rainforest live in the canopy because they depend on these plants for survival

The Understory Very little light reaches this layer Plants that grow here have adapted in the following ways – Don’t grow to be too tall – Have large flat leaves to absorb the little light that makes it there Fun fact: most house plants have come from this layer of the rainforest. Why?

Why do these animals need these adaptations?

Species Adaptations and Diversity Tropical rain forest is the biome with the largest number of species Most rain forest animals are specialists – For example: the giant anteater uses its long tongue to reach insects in small cracks and homes where other animals cannot reach. – For example: the great hornbill uses its strong curved beak to crack open nutshells – For example: Costa Rican hooded praying mantis uses camouflage to avoid predators.

Take 1 min to … Make a list of as many human impacts on the Rain Forests as you can

Human Impacts Every 60 seconds nearly 150 acres of tropical rainforest are cleared for logging operations, agriculture, cattle ranching or oil exploration Habitat destruction occurs when land inhabited by an organism is destroyed or altered This usually then causes a species to become extinct.