By Harley Nefe, Katie Altabet, and Sharon Slakter 1st Period Tropical Rainforests By Harley Nefe, Katie Altabet, and Sharon Slakter 1st Period

What Is a Tropical Rainforest? An ecosystem that occurs roughly within the latitudes 28 degrees north or south of the equator. Can be found in Asia, Australia, Africa, South America, Central America, Mexico, and many of the Pacific, Caribbean and Indian Ocean Islands.

Characteristics Receives around 50-260 inches of rainfall yearly. Temperature is usually around 68ºF- 93ºF. Humidity will be between 77-88%.

Ecological Services Nutrient cycling and soil formation, rain making, regulating air quality, providing human necessities, and creating a sustaining culture.

Economic Services Wood sources

Abiotic Factors Amount of water Sunlight Climate

The Layers of the Tropical Rainforest Top-most layer = emergent layer, where the tallest of the trees reach Upper Canopy = 60-130 ft tall trees that receive a lot of sunlight, blocking it to areas down below. Most animals live in this layer Understory layer = only a little sun reaches here, a little wind, and a lot of humidity. The plants here are broad-leafed and do not get tall Forest floor = the last layer, no sunlight, vegetation growth is nearly impossible

Indicator Species- Animals Great Apes & Monkeys- including gorillas, orangutans and spider monkeys Sloth Toucans Tropical frogs

Indicator Species- Plants Chocolate tree Coconut palm tree Strangler figs Durian

Keystone Species Agouti (small rodent) Brazil nut trees depend on them to open their seed pods Orangutan Dispersing seeds and keeping diversity

Invasive Species Tropical Ash tree- it is taller than the native trees, therefore allowing them to receive less sun, causing them to die out, which is changing tropical rainforests tremendously. The Tropical Ash tree was introduced in the 1930’s as a timber species to be used for wood products.

Unique Creatures Axoltl Jesus Lizard Capybara Satanic Leaf Tailed Gecko Proboscis Monkey Rhinoceros Hornbill Aye- Aye Bornean Flat-Headed Frog Okapi Glass Frog

Endemic Species Jaguars Ocelots Cougars Wetas Macaws Toucans Gorillas Kiwis Orangutans Tree Kangaroos Platypus Sugar Gliders Dingoes Tasmanian Devils Kookaburras Tuataras Poison Dart Frogs Chimpanzees

Common Animals Anaconda Jaguar Toucan Poison Dart Frog Boa Constrictor Macaw Tree Snail Morpho Butterfly Rhinoceros Beetle

Common Plants Bromeliads Epiphytes Saprophytes Buttress Roots Lianas

Plant Adaptations Bark- helps limit moisture evaporation from the tree’s trunk, in the rainforests, trees will have thin barks Drip tips- many trees have these leaves to allow for rain to fall off quickly Large leaves- to absorb more sunlight

Animal Adaptations Camouflage Higher up living- the spider monkey adapted to living in a higher layer than most other animals so there is less competition for food Diets- Toucans eat a diet heavy on fruit to lower the amount of competition and they have sharp strong beaks to grab the fruit with Bright colors- Poison Dart Frogs have bright colors to attract animals but watch out, they’re poisonous!

Food Web

Symbiotic Relationships Mutualism- leaf cutter ants and fungi Parasitism- Strangler fig and trees- the strangler fig will eventually kill the tree its been living on by stealing sunlight and root space by enveloping it Commensalism- Bromeliads will grow on other high branches of trees to get enough sunlight Competition- Between all the trees, only the tallest ones will get the right amount of sunlight needed

Threats to the Biome Human population growth Industrialized agriculture Logging Climate Change & shifting rain patterns