Transcript Tropical Rainforest - Middletown Public Schools

Tropical Rainforest
By: Michaela A. Rankins
Description
• These are some of the
hottest, wettest areas of
the world, and receive 200
inches of rainfall per year!
• One single hectare (2.47
acres) of tropical
rainforest area may
contain more than 2000
different species of plant!
Locations
• The Rainforests
can be found in…
• AUSTRALASIA
• SOUTHERN ASIA
• AFRICA
• THE AMAZON
• CENTRAL
AMERICA
Description of the 3 Levels
• We ascend from the
rainforest floor and emerge
out from the thick canopy
overhead.
• The unique climate, as well
as the many different strata
in the one hundred and
twenty feet of rainforest
trees, allows this to happen.
• We encounter different areas,
or strata, and in each strata
there is a different set of
living conditions .
• Different groups of animal
and plant life specifically
tailored for those conditions.
Description of the Canopy
•
Tropical rainforest canopies are
home to the highest diversity of
flora and fauna, and represent
the largest sink of carbon in
terrestrial ecosystems.
•
Because pattern and process or
structure and function are
linked, understanding the multiscaled spatio-temporal
processes that generate these
complex, multidimensional
structures may lend insight as to
how they are able to support
such diversity and productivity.
Howler Monkey
• Reddish in body color and black
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in face, the howler monkey
cautions other animals to stay
away by sounding terrifying
howls at both dawn and dusk.
These noises alert other howler
monkeys of the location of their
troops and thus reduce potential
conflicts between troops.
The male howler monkey has
an enlarged goiter-like hyoid
bone that allows it to create its
unique, voluminous roars.
Description of Understudy
• The middle layer, or
understudy, is made up of
vines, smaller trees, ferns,
and palms.
• A large number of plants
from this level are used as
common houseplants.
• Because of the small
amount of sunlight and
rainfall these plants
receive, they adapt easily
to home environments.
Jaguar
• The jaguar is the largest and
most powerful cat in the
Rainforest.
• This cat can weigh up to 350
pounds (159 kg) and grow to
a length of six feet (1.8 m)
from head to tail.
• The jaguar is a top predator
who feeds on tapirs, deer,
peccaries, sloths, caimans,
turtles, fish, and giant otters,
and its only natural predator
is the Anaconda snake.
• It’s spots provide excellent
camouflage.
Description of Forest Floor
• The bottom layer or floor of the
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rainforest is covered with wet
leaves and leaf litter.
This material decomposes rapidly
in the wet, warm conditions
sending nutrients back into the soil.
Few plants are found on the floor
of the forest due to the lack of
sunlight.
However, the hot, moist
atmosphere and all the dead plant
material create the perfect
conditions in which bacteria and
other microorganisms can thrive.
Giant Otter
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Nicknamed in Spanish "lobos de rio"
or "the river wolves," the giant otter
is the largest and most formidable
otter in the world.
This member of the weasel family
can grow up to seven feet long and
weigh up to 70 pounds.
The giant otter hunts in packs of
four to ten adults and has a
remarkable predatory instinct and
unusual feeding habits.
Though primarily feeding on fish,
the giant otter has been seen
attacking and devouring Anaconda
snakes and caiman in Manu.
Even stranger, it eats all of its fish
prey, including the bones. Using its
wolf-like teeth, water currentsensing whiskers, and strong
webbed forehands, the giant otter is
quite an effective water hunter for
the Rainforest.
Facts on Plants
• There are more than 20,000
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varieties of orchid found in the
rainforest. Orchids grow on tree
branches, trunks or rocks.
Many fruits, nuts, oils, and other
products are produced by plants in
the rainforest
Small plants called epiphytes
that need more sunlight attach
themselves to the trunks and
branches of the canopy trees.
They never touch the ground,
but their aerial roots absorb
water from the moist air. Vines
that have roots in the ground
climb trees of the top layer to
obtain the sunlight they require.
Most of the world’s medicines
come from the Rainforest.
The End