Download The Rain Forest By: JMD 7H

The Rain Forest
By JMD 7H
What Is The Rain Forest?
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There are two types of
rainforest, Tropical and
Temperate.
Tropical: Found close to the
equator, lies between the
tropic of Cancer and tropic of
Capricorn. Receives rain fall
regularly, and it remains warm
and frost free.
Temperate: found along the
coast in the Temperate zone
(pacific northwest).
Rainforests have two seasons,
Wet and Dry.
What is the Rainforest?
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Rain forests are often
called the “lungs of the
earth” because they
provide so much oxygen.
The actually take in just
as much oxygen as they
produce.
They do consume a lot of
the atmospheric carbon.
Rainforests cover 6 to 7%
of the earths land
surface.
Layers of the Rainforest
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The tropical rainforest has four layers.
The Emergent: Giant trees that are
above the canopy with mushroom
shaped crowns.
The Canopy: Broad, irregular crowns
form a tight canopy that is 60 to 90
feet above the ground. It is often
covered in other plants and tied
together with vines. Canopy is home to
90% of the rainforests organisms.
The Understory: Gets only 2 to 15% of
the sunlight. Contains young trees and
leafy herbaceous plants that can
survive on low light. This is where
many household plants come from.
The forest floor: Receives less than
2% of the sunlight. Very little grows
here. On the floor is a thin layer of
fallen leaves, seeds, fruits, and
branches that quickly decompose.
Where is the tropical rain forest?
% of Tropical
Rainforests
in the world
18%
25%
57%
Latin
America
Southeast
Asia/Pacific
West Africa
Where is the rainforest?
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The temperate rainforests are located mostly along the
pacific northwest of the USA from Oregon to Alaska for
about 1200 miles. Smaller ones are found on the south
east coast of Chile in south America.
It is also located in parts of the United Kingdom, Norway,
Japan, southern Australia and New Zealand.
Vegetation of the Rain Forest
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Number of tree
species:
Tropical = hundreds
Temperate = 10 to 20
Types of trees:
Tropical = Broadleaf
Temperate =Needles
Vegetation of the Rainforest
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Age of trees:
Tropical = 50 to 100
Temperate = 500 to 1000
Epiphytes:
Tropical = Orchids / Ferns/ Bromeliad
 Temperate = Mostly Mosses and Ferns
 Decomposition Rate:
Tropical = Rapid
Temperate = Slow
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Animals of the rainforest
There are many animals
that live in the rainforests.
 Some of these include:
Anaconda ( worlds largest
snake)
Bearded Pig
Chimpanzee
Crested Guan
Flying Dragon
Gorilla
Indian Cobra
Orangutan
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How Plants and Animals interact.
Primary Producers:
Ferns, Mosses, Shrubs,
Flowers.
 Primary Consumers:
Small Mammals,
salmon, insects, deer,
elk, birds.
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Climate of the rain forest
Tropical and Temperate are very wet and
lush.
 Tropical gets 80 to 400 inches of rain per
year.
 Temperate gets about 100 inches per year.
 Temperature in the Tropical rainforest is
warm and the temperate is cool.
 Both are frost free and are around 85 F.
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Dangers the rainforest must face.
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30 acres of rainforest is cut down everyday.
Companies are logging for firewood, charcoal,
building materials, and pasture land for cattle.
There is also the mining industry that is looking
for gold and other minerals.
Natural disasters, war, construction of dams and
poverty are also leading causes of the
destruction of rainforests.
Pictures
Borneo, Southeast Asia
Iguana
Hercules Beetle
Rainforest Lizard