Geography: The Tropical Rain Forest is a biome of the world. It includes areas of tropical woodlands with lush vegetation and great biological diversity. There are tropical rain forests found around the world along the equator. There are large tropical rain forest areas in Central America, South America, and Africa. We will be focusing our report on the Tropical Rain Forest of Central America. Here is a map of the world and Central America showing the different biomes in the world. The tropical rain forest is shown in dark green. Refer to the key below. Weather Cycles: In a tropical rain forest, the weather remains the same throughout the year. It is warm and rainy all year round. On average the rainfall is two hundred to four hundred centimeters a year and the temperature is twenty five degrees Celsius. Survey of Organisms: Four plants in kingdom Plantae that live in a tropical rain forest are Lianas, the strangler fig, the Lophira procera, and the tropical orchid. Two types of fungi that live in a tropical rain forest are the stinkhorn fungus and the bracket fungus. Classification of Animals: The rain forest is home to millions of species including many animals. These species include both invertebrates and vertebrates. One invertebrate phylum found in the rain forest is Nematoda. These organisms have a digestive system with two openings- one at the mouth and one at the anus. The Ascaris lumbricoides is an example of a Nematoda. Another phylum of invertebrates in the rain forest is Arthropoda also known for its insects. An insect found there is the Philippino pod katydid. It is a grasshopper like insect. Other invertebrates include the Hirudinea, Trematoda, and Oligo. Hirudinea in vertebrates have no appendages, have blood sucking external parasites, and are found in freshwater. An example is the Hirudo medicinalis. The Trematoda is a parasite with more than one host in life cycle. The Scistosoma is a Trematode. And, last is the Oligochaeta. They have no appendages, bristles and are also aquatic as well as terrestrial. This is a Tubifex. Vertebrates found in the rain forest are Reptiles, Mammals, and Birds. Most Reptiles have a three chambered heart, they internally fertilize, and they have amniotic eggs laid on land. One example of a reptile is the order Chelonia. These are turtles. In the class Mammalia, its animals have hair, produce milk for their young, have four legs, a four chambered heart, and use their lungs to breath. One example of a mammal in the rain forest is the Woolly Monkey. Birds, known as Aves, are feathered, have scales on their legs and feet, a four chambered heart, and have lungs. An Ave found in the Rain Forest is the toucan. Adaptation: The Rain Forest is home to more organisms than all the other biomes' organisms put together. There are therefore thousands of different species that have all come to live in the Tropical Rain Forest. Throughout time, these organisms have adapted in order to survive in the unique climate of the Tropical Rain Forest. One of these organisms is the Macaw bird. Its bright coloring helps it to blend in with the magnificently colored flowers in the Tropical Rain Forests. It nests safely high up in trees, hiding from its enemies. Another organism well adapted for life in the Rain Forest is the Woolly Monkey. He lives on a diet of fruits, leaves and other vegetation. He therefore spends his days climbing between the trees far away from the dangerous floor ground looking for food in the Rain Forest. The Tropical Orchid is a plant that has adapted to the Rain Forest. It has many diverse flower forms attracting specific insects that are primarily found in the Tropical Rain Forest. One last organism adapted to the Rain Forest is the Sloth. Long limbs and curved claws allow it to hang and move along tree branches of the forest easily while feeding on the foliage. Endangered Species or Environmental Issue: One major environmental concern to tropical rain forests is deforestation. The reasons that the rain forests are being cleared include: providing new areas for cultivation and making space to grow crops and raise farm animals. The trees are also being cut down for timber and to make charcoal. To level the rain forests, people cut down the trees with chain saws and bulldozers. Many times the trees are burned as well. The burning of the trees produces carbon dioxide, which is harmful to our atmosphere. There are many problems caused when tropical rain forests are leveled. The roots of trees hold soil in place, so when there are no trees, rain washes away the fertile top soil, which contains the nutrients, and only the less fertile soil is left, which is not suitable for growing crops. So when farmers try to grow more trees, the trees cannot survive. Many microorganisms that live off the nutrient-rich soil die. Also many small plants and animals that depend on the trees for food, support, and other necessities can no longer survive. When the destruction is by fire, insects, birds, and other small animals may also be destroyed. Rain forest destruction is a tremendous problem that will take a tremendous effort to stop. Symbiosis: An example of symbiosis in a tropical rain forest is the relationship between the strangler fig and the trees that make up the rain forest. The strangler fig germinates in the leaves of the trees. From the tree tops, the strangler fig sends down aerial roots down to the ground that thicken into trunk-like structures that wind around the tree and strangle and kill it. This type of symbiosis is called parasitism.
