My Biome My Biome The Tropical Rainforest By: Bushra Shaikh

What are the Biomes? Biomes of the World. Definition: "the world's major communities, classified according to the predominant vegetation and characterized by adaptations of organisms to that particular environment" (Campbell 1996) Campbell 1996Campbell 1996 Reference: Campbell, N.A Biology, 4th Edition. The Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Company, Inc., Menlo Park, California. 1: 2: 3: 4: 5: World Biomes Aquatic Freshwater 1 (ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, wetlands etc. ) Marine 2 (estuaries, coral reefs, oceans) Terrestrial Desert 3 (coastal, semiarid, hot and dry, cold etc.) Forest 4 (tropical, temperate, boreal (taiga), tundra etc. ) Grassland 5 [temperate (prairies and steppes) savannas] Aerial (?)

Distribution of Different Biomes Reference : Campbell, N.A. and Reece, J.B. An Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere in Biology. 7 th Edition. Benjamin Cummings, 2005.

Forests In present day, forests occupy more than one-third of earths land and are two- thirds of earths leaf area of the terrestrial plants. According to Spurr and Barnes (1980), the forest biome is classified into three parts based of various characteristics, especially seasonality. They are as follows: Tropical Temperate Boreal (Taiga) Reference : Spurr, S.H. and B.V. Barnes Forest Ecology. John Wiley & Sons, New York. Campbell, N.A. and Reece, J.B. An Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere in Biology. 7 th. Benjamin Cummings, 2005.

What are Rainforests? Rainforests are located in the equatorial region between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. Rainforests cover about 6% of earth. Rainforests have and average temperature of degrees Celsius and an average rainfall of (cm) and (in) of rainfall every year. The rainforest is dense, humid through out the year, a place where it rains most of the year and also has the greatest diversity of species. Reference :

Where are Rainforests Found? Rainforests are found near the equator and between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. Rainforests are commonly found in South America, West Africa, Southeast Asia and Australia. Reference: l

The Rainforest Strata The rainforest has four strata (sections), first the forest floor, over that the understory, then the canopy and finally the emergent. The forest floor is home to many species of insects. The understory is a shadowy, cool environment which is over the forest floor but under the canopy. The canopy is a wide spread area of leaves like a huge umbrella in the forest. The canopy is also home to mammals, insects, reptiles, birds and many more organisms. The top part of the rainforest is the emergent, this is where all of the tallest trees are such as the dipterocarpus costatus. Reference:

Plants in the Tropical Rainforests Plants in the tropical rainforests are evergreen and do not shed their leaves seasonally. These are some of the plants that are in the rainforests over the world: The Bambusa tulda, type of bamboo found in the Southeast Asian rainforest. The Curare, a type of vine which is found in the South American rainforests. The Kapok tree, an emergent tree found in South America, West Africa, Southeast Asia (Malay Peninsula, and the Indonesian archipelago.) The plants in the rainforests are adapted to year long humidity and constant rain. Due to the competition of light the trees form a bigger canopy each time and so if a seed which has fallen on the forest floor happens to germinate it will most likely not get the opportunity to grow. This is because the canopy does not allow any light to go through to the forest floor. This is why the plants are adapted to send their seeds away from the current location using various ways such as,the seeds catching on to the wind and floating off elsewhere (different plants/trees have various ways of sending their seeds for dispersion). When the seed has finally settled far away off, it will most likely be in a more suitable position for germinating. Reference:

Animals in the Rainforests Animals in the rainforests are adapted to the same things the plants are adapted to. The constant rain and the year long humidity. Animals are all over the rainforests, for example the tiny insects on the forest floors and also: The Orangutan found in the Southeast Asian rainforest of Sumatra and Borneo these creatures live in the canopy. The Kinkajou is found in the Amazon rainforest and lives mostly on the upper canopy. The Harpy Eagle is found in Southern and Central America. These rainforest animals have a totally different lifestyle to what we have here in our life. They are adapted to taking care of themselves independently and relying only on the environment around them and their family. There are many different types of animals in the rainforest and are adapted to different things depending on which part of the rainforest they live in. For example organisms that live on the forest floor are adapted to a dry, dark environment. Reference:

Other Living THINGS!!! There are many other living organisms in the tropical rainforest which most people don’t even know about! Like these: This is a parasitic flower called Rafflesia, (also known as Rafflesia Arnoldi) it grows on tree roots and survives on the food it can get from the tree. It also smells like rotten flesh! This is called the Thonningia sanguinea is found on the forest floors of African rainforests. Reference :

Human Activities Harmful Human Activities: Deforestation: Deforestation is also done in rainforests for reason like, making furniture etc. Urbanization: Urbanization is when trees are cut down for the extension of cities, industries (commonly known as industrialization), factories etc. Beneficial Human Activities: Reforestation: Reforestation is when trees are replanted to increase the population and also for using in industries. Coppicing: Coppicing is replanting trees that can keep growing if you cut them down. They will start growing again from the stump. Reference : Exchange & Transport, Energy & Ecosystems (Dec. 31, 2004) by John Adds, Erica Larkcom, and Ruth MillerJohn Adds

What do I think? I think that it is fine to cut down trees as long as it is for useful needs such as resources like paper pencils and also furniture. If the industries/factories cut down the trees in the rainforest just for the extension of the communities and are taking way mire than they need it is not fair for the animals/plants in the rainforest, they need it more. What Other People Think Ella says, “ I think deforestation in forests are bad because there are many different animals and creatures that need the trees for more important reasons. We should only take as much as we need, not more. We should use what we have first, before we take more.” Sahana says “ There is too much deforestation. If we planted two trees for every one that we cut down, things would be different. Deforestation is often caused because people are greedy. They don’t care about the other creatures and plants that rely on the trees we cut down.”

How can we help to prevent the rainforests from being destroyed? There are several ways that we can raise awareness of what is happening to the rainforests. The industries and factories that cut down trees almost everyday don’t realize how much they are damaging the rainforests. Here are some ways we can raise awareness and help the environment in developing: Using posters, flyers and such medias to spread the awareness. We also help by doing one more thing…………… plant a seed! Doing this will at least bring one more life to this earth and who knows, maybe this might just turn out to be something bigger!

Quiz Time! What are the tree types on forests? What are the tree types on forests? Name one of the parasitic plants located in the rainforest? Name one of the parasitic plants located in the rainforest? What is one of the human activities that benefit the rainforests? What is one of the human activities that benefit the rainforests? Do you think the amount of deforestation that is being done, is good or bad? Do you think the amount of deforestation that is being done, is good or bad?

Thank You for Watching my Presentation!!! I hope you all have learned something new.