Tropical rainforest

What is a Rainforest?
•Tropical rainforests are forests with tall trees,
warm climate, and lots of rain. In some rainforests
it rains more than one inch every day!

•Rainforests are found in Africa, Asia, Australia,

and Central and South America.
•The largest rainforest in the world is the Amazon
rainforest.
Tropical rainforest around the world…
LOCATION
 Tropical rainforest around the world…

10 N

10 S
Tropical rainforest around the world…
CLIMATE
Temperatures stay the same the whole year round—about 20 to 30
degrees Celsius.

Around the equator there are two rainy seasons with heavy rainfall —
up to 10 metres.

When you move away from the equator it gets a bit drier in some months
, but there is still more than 2 metres of rain a year.

The weather hardly changes from one day to the next.

In the morning it is clear . The sun starts heating up the ground and
warm, humid air starts to rise.

In the afternoon clouds get blacker and there are thunderstorms for an
hour or two before it starts to clear up again .

Most of the rain stays in the rain forest . It evaporates , creates clouds
and falls down again.

Rain forest soils are not very fertile because the rain washes out most of
the nutritients.
Daily weather cycle in the tropcial rainforest
Daily weather cycle in the tropcial rainforest
 BIOMES
Plants and animals

About half of the world’s plant species can be found in

the rain forest. Because it is warm and rains the whole
year, forests stay green. Trees lose their leaves and
immediately grow new ones. The rain forest is the home
of many plants : lianas, ferns, orchids and many kinds
of tropical trees.

Fish, reptiles, birds and insects also live in the rain

forest and its rivers. Plants and animals need each other
to survive. Insects pollinate the flowers of the rain
forest. Animals get food from the flowers’ nectar . Seeds
from trees are often taken away by other animals and
birds and dropped in far away areas.
 Plant Life
About 70% of rain-forest plants are trees. Tropical rain
forests have a layered structure.

ORCHIDS
LIANAS
 Rainforests have levels?

 Emergent layer (the tops of the highest trees)

 Canopy layer (the branches and leaves of most of the
rainforest trees; where most of the rainforest’s species are
found)
 Understory layer (small trees and shrubs able to live in low-
light conditions)
 Forest Floor layer (the dark, damp ground layer, where the
rainforest’s largest animals are found)
 Structure of the rain forest
Rainforests have four layers.

The top layer is the Emergent. It consists of the tallest trees of the
rainforest. They may get over 50 metres tall. But only very few
reach this height. This is the part that gets most of the sunlight.
The canopy is a layer of trees that is below the canopy. More than
70 % of rainforest animals and plant species live in the canopy and
subcanopy. Lianas often climb around trees.
The understory is the shadowy lower area. It has young trees and
plants like ferns or palms that do not need much light. Only 1 or 2
per cent of the sunlight reaches the understory.
The floor has a thin layer of leaves, seeds or fruits and branches
that fall from the trees. It decomposes fast and new material takes
its place.
When large , tall trees die and fall to the ground they leave a gap in
the rain forest. Very quickly, smaller trees take this place and
their crowns grow larger. That’s why the layers of the rain forest
always change.
The forest floor is where the largest rainforest animals are
found. Notice the wide roots, known as ‘buttress roots’.

The forest floor is a dark, damp and hot place. Only 2% of

the sunlight that falls on a rainforest reaches the forest
floor.

Surprisingly, rainforest soil isn’t very rich in nutrients.

This is why rainforest trees need wide – rather than deep –
roots. They provide stability in the thin rainforest soil, and
also help the trees to find the nutrients they need.

Living among the soil and leaf litter (dead leaves) are
some of the rainforests most industrious animals:
leafcutter ants. These incredible insects are found in the
rainforests of Central and South America. They live in
colonies of over a million insects, and grow their own
food.
Leafcutter ants collecting leaves
 You can learn more about leafcutter ants here: Leafcutter Ant Facts.

 Small but deadly Poison Dart Frogs live on the forest floor. There are
many species of these brightly-coloured amphibians. Some are harmless,
others are among the most poisonous of all animals! Find out more here:
Poison Dart Frog Facts.

 The forest floor is home to many of the rainforest’s biggest animals. In

South American rainforests, Tapirs, Jaguars and Anteaters may be found
wandering through the trees. Caimans, Capybaras and Green Anacondas
might be found in or near rainforest rivers and lakes.

 In Asian rainforests, tigers take the place of jaguars, and you might even
see an Asian elephant.

 In Africa, leopards hunt in the forests, and troops of gorillas roam

through the undergrowth.
Understory Layer
The understory layer is dark and hot. Keep an eye out for
boa constrictors and jaguars!

The understory is a ‘halfway house’ between the forest

floor and the canopy layer. The understory consists of
leafy bushes, small trees, saplings (young trees) and
vines. The plants that grow here tend to have large leaves,
to capture what little light is available to them; the
understory layer only gets 5% of the rainforest’s sunlight.

You may see lines of leafcutter ants marching up and

down the branches of the understory. It’s also here where
boa constrictors lie in wait, ready to drop down onto their
prey as it passes by beneath them.
The boa constrictor hangs around in the
understory layer.
Jaguars (or, if in an African rainforest, Leopards) may also
climb into the understory layer, ready to pounce on their
prey.

Butterflies such as the colourful Blue Morpho might fly

through the understory, searching for the rotting fruit on
which they feed.
Canopy Layer
The canopy layer of the rainforest is where most of the
plant and animal species are found.

The canopy layer is made up of the branches and leaves

of most of the rainforest’s trees. It’s between 30 and 45
metres (100 and 150 ft.) from the ground. More plant and
animal species live in this layer than anywhere else in the
rainforest.

Because up to 99% of the sunlight that falls on a rainforest

reaches the canopy layer, many plants are found here.
Epiphytes (plants that grow on other plants) grow on the
branches of trees. Lianas –rainforest vines – also try to
reach the valuable sunlight by wrapping themselves
around the trunks and branches of trees. In doing so they
create walkways that allow animals such as monkeys to
reach the canopy layer.
A Howler Monkey in the rainforest canopy
Animals that live in the canopy layer of South American
rainforests include: Red-Eyed Tree Frogs, Howler
Monkeys (and many other rainforest monkeys), Coatis,
Sloths, Toucans and Iguanas.

Animals that live in the rainforest canopy layer in other

parts of the world include Orangutans, Aye-Ayes, and
Sugar Gliders.
Emergent Layer
The branches of the tallest rainforest trees create the
emergent layer.

Only the very tallest rainforest trees break through the

canopy to form the emergent layer. The emergent layer is
over 45 m (150 ft.) from the ground (in some areas, the
tallest trees are over 70 m (230 ft.)), and is the highest of
the rainforest layers.

The emergent layer is breezy, wet and lacks shelter. It can

also be extremely hot, and is a rather inhospitable place. It
doesn’t provide a suitable habitat for many plant or animal
species.
Harpy Eagles perch in the emergent layer,
searching for their next meal.
Animals that are found in the emergent layer
include birds such as harpy eagles (when they’re
not hunting in the canopy layer) and scarlet
macaws.

Blue Morpho butterflies can be seen flying

through the emergent layer by pilots flying over
the rainforest. Some monkeys also enter the
emergent layer.
OKAPI
Human Life
Agriculture
 Shifting Agriculture
Stage 1: Selecting a plot of land
The headman of the tribe first chooses a plot of land in the
forest trees in the area are felled and the undergrowth is
cleared at the beginning of the dry season.
Stage 2: Burning the felled trees
The trees are left to dry before they are burnt. The ashes of the
burnt trees act as fertilisers for the soil.
Stage 3: Planting
Planting is carried out after the ground has cooled.
Holes are made with a dibble stick, into which seeds
could be dropped.
Stage 4: Harvesting
Harvesting usually takes place during the dry season.
Stage 5: Fallowing
After a few years of cultivation, the soil loses its fertility. farmers
then move on to look for a new plot of land, leaving the first field to
fallow or rest. They may return to the same plot after a period of
time..
Plantation agriculture
Plantation agriculture is a form of commercial farming where crops
are grown for profit. Large land areas are needed for this type of
agriculture. Countries that have plantation agriculture usually
experience high annual temperatures and receive high annual
rainfall. Plantations are mainly found in countries that have a
tropical climate.
Plantation agriculture has its roots in the past. In the early 18th
and 19th centuries, a number of plantations were set up by
westerners and western companies. They employed either local
and foreign workers who were willing to work for a small wage.
For example, the rubber plantations set up by the British in
Malaya employed many workers from India. Today, most
plantatons are owned by the local governments or big compnies.
PURPOSE
-Plantation agriculture is a form of commercial farming where
crops are grown for sale. Some crops are sold as raw materials to
manufacturing industries.