The Rainforest

1. The Rainforest

2. The Rainforest is a Forested Biome with Large Amounts of Rain • Average Annual Rainfall is 125 – 660 cm (50 – 260 in) • Temperature Range from 20 – 34 Degrees Celsius (60 – 93 degrees Fahrenheit) • Most Rainforests Lie Along the Equator The Rainforest - Facts

3. Tropical Rain Forests can be found in three major geographical areas: • Central America - Amazon river basin • Africa - Zaire basin, West Africa; Eastern Madagascar • Indo-Malaysia - west coast of India, Assam, Southeast Asia, New Guinea and Queensland, Australia

5. Rainforests now cover less than 6% of Earth's land surface - Deforestation • More than half of all plant and animal species live in rain forests • Tropical rainforests produce 40% of Earth's oxygen The Rainforest – Facts Cont.

7. More kinds of trees than any other area in the world • 100 - 300 species in one 2.5 acre area in South America counted • Seventy percent of the plants in the rainforest are trees The Rainforest – Plants.

9. About 1/4 of all the medicines come from rainforest plants • Most trees have straight trunks that do not branch for over 100 feet • Many trees can only be identified by their flowers • Majority of trees have smooth, thin bark The Rainforest – Plants.

12. Four Distinct Layers of Trees: • Emergent • Upper Canopy • Understory • Forest Floor The Rainforest – Layers

13. Emergent Layer • Trees are spaced wide apart • 100 to 240 feet tall with umbrella-shaped canopies • Tend to have small, pointed leaves • Shallow root system spread wide (30ft) The Rainforest – Layers

14. Upper Canopy • 60 to 130 foot trees • light easily available above but greatly reduced below • leaves have "drip spouts" that allows rain to run off The Rainforest – Layers

15. Understory • 60 foot trees • shrubs, plants and small trees • little air movement • humidity is constantly high • always in the shade The Rainforest – Layers

16. Forest Floor • few shrubs and herbs survive • less than 1% of the light penetrates to the forest floor • top soil is very thin and of poor quality • litter falls to the ground where it is quickly broken down by decomposers The Rainforest – Layers

17. Capable of Rapid Growth when Light is Available • Shed Water From Leaves Quickly So the Branches Won't Break • drip tips • grooved leaves • oily coatings Plant Adaptations

19. Leaves are Very Large • Some have Leaf Stalks That Move With the Sun • Vines - Over 2500 Species That Grow on Trees • Vines make up 40% of the canopy leaves • "strangler" vines will use trees as support strangling its host tree Plant Adaptations

21. Biodiversity • trees of the same species very seldom grow close together • prevents mass contamination, disease & insect infestation • insures that there will be enough pollinators to take care species needs Plant Adaptations

22. Animals Depend on Staggered Blooming & Fruiting of Plants for Year Round Source of Food • Most Animals Live in the Upper Canopy Area Animals

24. Common Characteristics Found Among Mammals, Birds, Reptiles & Amphibians • Bright Colors • Sharp Patterns • Loud Vocalizations • Prehensile Tails • Diets Heavy on Fruits Animals

26. Insects most prevalent • butterflies • mosquitoes • camouflaged stick insects • huge colonies of ants Animals

29. Fish – Piranha Animals in The Rainforest

32. Animals • Fish – Piranha • Amphibians - Tree Frog, Dart Frog

36. Animals • Fish – Piranha • Amphibians - Tree Frog, Dart Frog • Reptiles – Anaconda, Python, Iguana

41. Animals • Fish – Piranha • Amphibians - Tree Frog, Dart Frog • Reptiles – Anaconda, Python, Iguana • Birds – Cockatoo, Parrots, McCaw

43. Animals • Fish – Piranha • Amphibians - Tree Frog, Dart Frog • Reptiles – Anaconda, Python, Iguana • Birds – Cockatoo, Parrots, McCaw • Mammals –Monkeys, Apes, Cats, Lemurs, Manatee, Dolphin, Tapir & Deer to name a few