Causes of destruction-Conversion of rainforest to pasture land for cattle ranching
-Mining for gold, bauxite and other minerals
-Natural disasters, war, construction of dams, and poverty
Effects on the native people-habitat of the animals and plants are taken away
-reduces the space for the indigenous people who lived there
-way of life has died out with contact from incomers
-native group suffered from diseases which they had no resistance to
-social problems
Effects on the Fauna and Flora
-loss of thousands of species of plants, insects and animals
-important chemicals used for medical purposes have not been found and will be lost
Effects on the Soil
-exposes the soil to erosion and leaching
-without the branches and leaves to break its fall, heavy tropical storms can quickly wash the soil from even a gentle slope
-roots which help to bind the soil together will be taken away
-soil can quickly silt up rivers and lakes
-nutrients may be leached out as the rainfall seeps down through the soil
-soils lose their fertility after only a few years, and this causes problems for commercial arable farmers
Effects on the climate
-trees slow the onslaught of tropical downpours, use and store vast quantities of water
-decrease in rainforest cause water level to rise and cause floods
-increase in temperatures
-the burning down of trees and their reduced number increases the concentration of carbon dioxide
-result in global warming and the rise in sea level
Soil
-nutrient poor
Leaf litter
-high temperature and rainfall cause the leaf litter to decompose and form humus rapidly
Epiphytes
-live on trees and other plants above the ground
-have dangling roots which collect nutrients from raindrops with dust and other particles in them.
-sometimes get too heavy for trees and can even break branches
-trees get too tired of it, they shed their bark to get rid of them.
Lianas
-grow on woody tissues like trees, get a hold on the trees
-reach the sun by climbing up the trees using their clasping roots, barbed thorns or even twisting tendrils.
The climate in a tropical rainforest is very humid, in an average year, the annual rainfall is about 250 cubic centimeters. The high annual rainfall is due to the tropical climate, which is found near the equator, showing that there is an abundant of trees grown.
Why are forest people well-adapted to living in the tropical rainforest?
Through thousands of years of natural selection, forest people have evolved to be smaller than people who do not live in the rainforest. They also sweat less because the forest's high humidity means that sweat cannot evaporate, making sweating a poor way to cool off.
From:http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/rforest/explore/people.htm
-forming huge crowns shaped like mushrooms.
-get the highest amount of sunlight
-subject to strong winds, low humidity, and high temperatures.
The Canopy Layer
-irregular, broad crowns
-form a continuous, tight canopy
-about 60-90 feet above the forest floor
-branches of these trees are usually entangled with liana vines and covered with epiphytes.
-90 percent of the organisms of the rainforest can be found, most of them seeking the treetops for the brighter light there.
The Understory
-a dark and cool place
-receives only 2 to 15 percent of the sunlight that falls on the canopy.
-comparatively open space, containing leafy herbaceous plants and young trees that can only tolerate low light.
The Shrub Layer
-Tree saplings and woody plants are found
-may grow up to 6m high
The Undergrowth Layer
-get the least amount of sunlight
-little grows here apart from plants that are adapted to very low amounts of light
-covered with leaf litter.
Leaves-Evergreen
Leaves remain green all year round due to constant high rainfall throughout the year, thus less dead leaves will be present.
-Drip tips
So as to drain away excess rainwater from preventing the harmful bacteria growing on them.
-Waterproof (waxy)
Allow rainwater to flow off from the surface of the leaves easily, thus preventing the stomata from being blocked, allowing photosynthesis to take place.
-Large and Broad (mesophyll)
Increase and maximise the total surface area for photosynthesis to take place.
-Tannins and other chemicals
The trees produce these chemicals on their leaves to make them hard to digest, therefore undesirable to eat. When chemicals reach the ground by rain, it is poisonous to other plants, keeping plants out of the trees personal space.
Roots
- Buttress roots
Support and stability, allowance of air exchange in water-logged soils, and the capture of leaf litter.
- Air roots
So as to get their nourishment from the air itself, due to the high humidity in the areas
Bark and branches
- Thin and smooth barks
Not needed for protection against cold or dry conditions
- Branches
The branches are grew on the top one-third portion of the trunks so as to get as much sunlight as they can
-Central America in the Amazon river basin
-Africa; Zarie Basin, with a small area in West Africa; also in eastern Madagascar
-Indo-Malaysia_west coast of India, Assam, Southeast Asia, Papua New Guinea and Queensland, Australia.
C-3s
♥Sharon Pow
♥Tan Chew Huan
♥Samantha Sim
♥Chua Su Ying
A Group of teachers who cherish the beauty of nature telling you about the hot topic:
Tropical Rainforest
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