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

2. 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.

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

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

5. Economic Services
Wood sources

6. Abiotic Factors
Amount of water
Sunlight
Climate

7. The Layers of the Tropical Rainforest
Top-most layer = emergent layer, where the tallest of the trees reach
Upper Canopy = 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

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

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

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

11. 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.

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

13. 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

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

15. Common Plants
Bromeliads
Epiphytes
Saprophytes
Buttress Roots
Lianas

16. 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

17. 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!

18. Food Web

19. 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

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