tropical rainforests

• emergent layer

  • top of the tallest trees
  • vegetation gets the most sunlight
  • trees are umbrella shaped, have long thin trunks and have big, thick, waxy leaves to protect them (these trees get the most sunlight and have to cope with strong winds)
  • home to eagles, monkeys and butterflies
• forest floor layer

  • dark and humid (due to constant shade from the canopy’s leaves)
  • little vegetation
  • home to deer and rodents
  • where decomposition takes place
• under canopy layer

  • saplings wait for plants and animals to die, so they can grow into the gap
  • home to jaguars, leopards and lots of insects
  • thickest layer of the forest where the trees stop sunlight from reaching plants below (little sunlight means the trees have to grow larger leaves to reach the sunlight)
  • hot, damp and still air
• animal adaptations in a tropical rainforest

  • squirrel monkey - long tail (to balance on the canopy), strong thighs (gives power to leap from trees), hand like paws (to grab onto trees and eat fruits from it)
  • chameleon - have the ability to change colour (used as a camouflage and communication)
  • poison dart frog - suction pads on toes (cling onto trees and leaves), spit out poison and have a bright colour (defence mechanism/warns predators)
  • anteater - long sticky tongue, huge paws and claws (to get ants out of nests) and long tail (allows balance on trees)
• plant adaptations to a tropical rainforest

  • kapok - fast growing emergent trees (tower over smaller trees and compete to reach sunlight)
  • drip tip leaves - pointed projections (allows rain to drip off and water/feed the plants/animals below)
  • epiphytes - stay in the canopy (seeks sunlight and nutrients from water and air)
  • buttresses - big ridges (supports base of tall trees, so it can transport water)
  • lianas - large surface area (helps oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange)
• • biodiversity: a measure of how many different species live in an ecosystem
  • decomposition: the process of fungi breaking down dead plants/animals and recycling essential nutrients
  • topsoil: the top and most fertile layer of soil
  • saplings: young trees
• canopy layer

  • made up of overlapping branches (where the upper parts of most trees are found, making it leafy and thick)
  • home to lizards, birds and snakes (animals are adapted to live here)
  • less than 2% of sunlight reaches this layer (dry and hot)
  • the most biodiverse layer in a rainforest (and richest habitat for plant and animal life)
• nutrient cycling in a tropical rainforest

  1. trees grow rapidly
  2. leaves are shed and decomposed due to hot and humid conditions
  3. decaying vegetation also decomposes
  4. nutrients enter the soil (from the leaves)
  5. shallow roots take up the nutrients
  6. *the nutrient cycle is continuous as long as deforestation doesn't occur, however if the canopy of vegetation is removed the soil becomes infertile

  A) grow

  B) shed

  C) decomposes

  D) soil

  E) nutrients

  
• tropical rainforests

  • location: horizontal belt close to the equator (through the tropics)
  • climate: wet, warm and humid (27 °c), high and constant temperatures throughout the year with a distinct and intense wet season
  • infertile soil (most nutrients are found at the surface where dead leaves compose rapidly) but to adapt, trees and plants have shallow roots to absorb nutrients
  • have the largest number of species of any biome, 70% of all plants and animals live on 7% of the land surface

  A) forest floor

  B) under canopy

  C) canopy

  D) emergent