Tropical Rain Forests
Abiotic Factors
- Location
- Temperature
- Climate
- Percipitation
- Emergent Layer
- Canopy
- Understory
- Forest Floor
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Tropical Rain Forests
By Jessica Olsen
Tropica Rain forests are located close to the
equator. Near the equator, the sun shines
directly on the earth. Most tropical rain forests
are located between tropics, which are the areas
above and below the equator. For the most part,
they are located on the continents of Central and
South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. The
largest tropical rain forest in the world is the
Amazon Rain Forest in South America.
Rain forests get rain at least once a day. They
can receive between 80 and 400 inches of rain
annually. The climate is like summer twelve
months out of the year. It is muggy and humid
with very little wind. The average temperature
is 80 degrees.
Due to the moisture, plants grow year round.
The rain forest is divided into four main layers.
The top layer or Emergent layer consists of huge
trees that rise above all the other trees. They
can grow up to 150 feet tall.
The next layer or the canopy is made up of very
tall trees who's treetops or crowns grow so
close together that they form a lush, green
garden in the air. The canopy contains many
plants, animals, and insects.
The Understory, or the middle layer consists of
smaller trees, bushes, and plants such as ferns.
The canopy does not allow much sunlight to come
through, yet many birds and animals dwell here.
The last layer, Forest Floor, provides food and
shelter for those animals and insects that live
there. Not much will grow here due to the lack
of sunlight.
Billions of animals, birds and insects live in
tropical rain forests. They are able to find all
the food that they need. They also can find safe
dwellings where they can raise their young.
Mammals such as chimpanzees, gorillas, jaguars,
leopards, monkeys, mice, wild boars, bats and
squirrels make the rain forest their home. Lizards,
snakes, turtles, frogs, and salamanders also find
all the food they need in the rain forest. There
are many differennt species of birds that live in
the rain forest. Cockatoos, eagles, hornbills,
parrots, toucans, and peacocks are just a few of
them. There are by far more insects than any other
kind of animl in the rain forest. Ants, beetles,
butterflies, snails, spiders, and termites don't
even begin to scratch the surface.
There are thousands of plants that inhabit the
tropical rain forests. Some canopy trees grow to be
120 feet tall. Their leaves are large and waxy which
allows water to drip off of them. There are also many
flowering plants. Many plants produce fruit such as
avocados, bananas, coffee, lemons, oranges, pine-
apples, peppers and peanuts. Mushrooms and herbs also
inhabit the forest floor.
The tropical rain forest is the most important ecolog-
ical system on this earth. It gives us 60% of the
species and population. It absorbs 1/6th of the carbon-
dioxide produced from burning fuels. The Amazon contains
60% of the world's fresh water. It provides 32% of the raw
materials needed for pharmaceuticals, and it has 1400
plants that are active against cancer.
Tropical rain forests supply us with an abundance of
industrial goods. Some of these include jogging shoes,
nail polish, dynamite, cellophane, deoderant, lotion, and,
lipstick.
There is a little more than 25% of the rain forest left and
25% of this represents biological reserves. The third world
countries, with help from Japan, the U.S. and Europe, are
using the rain forests for lumber, agriculture, mining, and
cattle. These services represent quick capital with permanent
negative effects. The rain forests are so fragile that they
will never recover in areas of this destruction.
There are many products naturally produced in the forest that
could be cultivated without destroing it. Current medical
riches discovered represents a $20 billion industry.
There are many groups trying to help save the rain forests
from total destruction. We need to help supposrt these organ-
izations . We could also write to the government encouraging
greatere donations to research and development of tropical
rain forests.
At current destruction rates, the rain forests could be gone
by the year 2002. Then the rate of global warming will
increase. The countries will see poverty conditions like they've
never seen them before. These rain forests are everyone's
responsibility and we must do our part to preserve this
ecosystem.
Email: jolsen@osage.k12.ia.us