What is a Rainforest? Layers, Types and Importance of Rainforests - Conserve Energy FutureWhat is a rainforest?
A tropical rainforest consists of three layers of
life: the canopy, the understory and the forest floor. There is also something
called the Emergent layer in which trees grow higher then other trees.&
There are only one or two in every few acres of rain forest.&
The canopy is in the
treetops (160-220 feet tall!) which make up the rainforest's green ceiling. The
canopy of the rain forest blocks out much of the sun's rays from the lower
levels of the rain forest.& Many of the plants that grow there we also have
in the U.S., such as: prayer plants and philodendron.& These plants like
the warm, dark places and grow well indoors.& Most of the animals of the
rainforest such as monkeys, birds, tree frogs and even snakes, live in the
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
The understory is home to hundreds of thousands of
interesting plants and animals.&& The forest floor is the bottom layer
of the rainforest. Except for rotting vegetation which nourishes the thin
tropical soil, the forest floor is almost bare. Large mammals like jaguars and
African gorillas live on the forest floor.
list of plants and animals found in the understory is endless.& Scientists
look forward to discovering and learning more.& This will only be possible
if the destruction of the rain forest can be halted in the future!
the Forest floor, soil quality is very poor. Except along the banks of the
rivers.& There is little light and plant debris rarely falls to the
Rainforests
help control our world's climate.& It rains a lot in the rain forest and is
very hot. A water cycle of sorts takes place by the evaporation of the rainwater
back into the air. Rainwater in the Amazon can be recycled five to seven
times.& Some 50% of rain in some of the rain forests comes from
evaporation.& The clouds cover the rain forests around the equator reflect
the sun.& This keeps the rain forest from getting too hot.PETITIONSPETITIONSCAUSESCAUSESHEALTHY LIVINGHEALTHY LIVINGREWARDSREWARDS
WHAT ARE RAINFORESTS?
Tropical rainforests are forests with tall trees, warm climate, and lots of rain.
Rainforests are found in Africa, Asia, Australia, and Central and South America. The largest rainforest in the world is the Amazon rainforest.
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New to Care2? Start Here.Rainforests for kids
Rainforest Information
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& Geography Index & Rainforest
Interesting Fact:
More than 20 percent of the world oxygen is produced in the Amazon Rainforest.
What is a Rainforest?
Rainforests are very dense, warm and wet
Why is it called a Rainforest?
The reason it is called a &rain& forest is because of the high amount of rainfall it gets per year. Rainforests have an annual rainfall of at least 100 inches (254 centimeters) and often much more.
Why are Rainforests important to us?
They are very important as the plants of the rainforest
generate much of the Earth&s oxygen
Interesting Fact:
Rainforests cover only 6 %of the Earth's surface but yet they contain MORE THAN 1/2 of the world's plant and animal species!
How many different types of Rainforests are there?
There are two types of Rainforest:
Temperate Rainforests
Tropical Rainforests
(Click on the link &Types of Rainforest& on the left of the page)
Interesting Fact:
Rainforests are found on every continent across the Earth, except Antarctica.
Where in the world are Rainforests found?
Tropical rainforests are found close to the equator
where temperatures and rainfall are
very high all year round. The major areas of tropical rainforests are in South East Asia, West Africa and South and Central America.
The best known rain forests are found in tropical
regions between the Tropics of cancer and
Capricorn.
Temperate rainforests are found along coasts in the temperate zone.
The largest temperate rainforests are found on North America's Pacific Coast and stretch from Northern California up into Canada.
Temperate rainforests have one long wet winter/spring
season, and a dry foggy summer.
What lives in a Rainforest?
As many as 30 million species of plants and animals live in tropical rainforests.
Interesting Fact:
A typical four square mile patch of rainforest contains as many as 1,500 flowering plants, 750 species of trees, 400 species of birds and 150 species of butterflies.
What are the different layers of a Rainforest Called?
There are four main parts of a Rainforest. They are:
Emergent Layer -
very sunny because it is the very top. Only the tallest trees reach this level.
Who lives here? birds, butterflies and small monkeys live with bats, snakes and bugs.
Canopy Layer - much of the rain is stopped by the thick foliage. Most trees in the forest grow to this height. There are plants that grow in the canopy layer. Their roots don't reach the ground. These are called air plants.
Who lives here?
birds, monkeys, frogs, and sloths, as well as lizards, snakes and many insects.
Understory Layer -
many vines, dense vegetation, not much light.
Who lives here? birds, butterflies, frogs and snakes
Forest Floor - dark, damp, full of many dead leaves, twigs and dead plants. The forest floor is dark due to the trees above stopping the sunlight from entering the forest. It is estimated that only 2% of the sunlight actually reaches the floor.
Who lives here? jaguars in South America, gorillas and leopards in Africa and tapirs and tigers and elephants in Asia.
Interesting Fact:
The trees of a tropical rainforest are so densely packed that rain falling on the canopy can take as long as 10 minutes to reach the ground.
What do we get from Rainforests?
Many of the things we have in our homes comes from the rainforest.
These include:
chocolate - Chocolate is made from cocoa. Cocoa pods grow on trees in rainforests.
spices - includes ginger, allspice, pepper, cinnamon, coconut, vanilla, turmeric and paprika.
pineapples
Interesting Fact:
An area of a rainforest the size of a football field is being destroyed each second.
Rainforest Websites
Rainforest at Night
A Geographic interactive website that explores the Rainforest
at Night.& Simply move your mouse over the page (like shining&a spotlight) to
discover photos and then click on the photo to learn additional facts.&
Choose a topic on the left
to read about rainforest habitats.
Listen to the sounds
This site has information about five major rainforests in the world. Learn about the people, plants, and animals that live in these rainforests.
- What is a Rainforest? Find out here about the different layers of a rainforest and other facts. A great site
- A pictorial Dictionary
Australia's temperate rainforests and the different trees and animals found there.
Click on "Series Profile" for a slideshow and a video.
& Copyright - please read
All the materials on these pages are free
for homework and classroom use only. You may not redistribute, sell or place the content of this page on any other website or blog without written permission from the author Mandy Barrow.
&Copyright Mandy Barrow 2013
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