Geography- Rainforest Revision

• Ants can communicate especially in the rainforest
• The rainforest is around 100 million years old
• Smooth bark helps excess water flow off trees
• Monkeys have adapted to have prehensile tails to help them climb easily.
• Some animals have adapted to climb trees easily with buttress roots to support them
• Vines have come flanged to hold onto trees
• Rainforest ecosystems have biotic (living) components like plants and animals, and abiotic (non-living) components like stones, soil, air, water/rain
• The rainforest is very misty
• An ecosystem is a community of living things
• Some animals have evolved to have tails that help them balance and support
• Some birds have evolved to have beaks in the appropriate shape according to their diet
• Rainforest animals have unique abilities
• • An ecoystem is an area that includes animals, plants and living things.
  • for plants height is usually an advantage as it helps them to reach the sunlight
  • Smooth bark is a common feature of trees, so that excess water flows off easily
  • Vines hold onto plants in order to get closer to the sunlight
  • toucans have adapted to have beaks in the appropriate shape according to their diet
  • male toucans have more outgoing colours, whereas female toucans are more camouflaged
• Rainforests are around the Equator
• Rainforests are between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn
• Rainforests are equatorial and tropical
• Temperate rainforests are rainforests that are not hot or cold
• What are temperate rainforests?

  rainforests that are not hot or cold
• The Congo Basin is located in Central Africa
• The Amazon basin covers over half of South America
• Rainforests are found in the north of south america, the south of north america, midwest africa, southeast asia and the north of australia/oceania
• Temperate rainforests have lower temperatures (14°C) but still high humidity levels (70%) due to being close to oceans.
• Tropical rainforests have high temperatures (25°C) and high humidity levels (80%)
• Tropical rainforests have high temperatures (25°C) and high humidity levels (80%)
• There are two types of rainforests; tropical and temperate
• Tropical rainforests have higher temperatures (25°C) and very high humidity levels (80%)
• Temperate rainforests have more biodiversity than boreal forests because it has warmer climates with more plants growing meaning more animals can survive.
• The climate is hot and wet with heavy rainfall all year round
• The Amazon basin has over 39 million people living there with many indigenous tribes who live off the land
• Rainfall affects the distribution of biomes by providing water needed for plant growth and survival.
• Rainforests are found between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, which means they lie within the tropics
• Rainforests are home to around half of the world's plant species, which makes them important as they produce oxygen through photosynthesis
• Deforestation is when trees are cut down or burnt to make way for agriculture, logging or mining
• Soil type affects the distribution of biomes as some soils are better suited to certain vegetation, such as acidic soil being good for coniferous trees but not deciduous trees.
• Focus on tropical rainforests in the Living World unit of AQA GCSE geography
• Activity: Match the layer to its name

  1. Emergent layer

  2. Canopy layer

  3. Understory

  4. Forest floor
• Countries in order of rainforest coverage

  • Brazil
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Indonesia
  • India
  • Malaysia
  • Nigeria
• Tropical rainforests experience a small range in temperature throughout the year
• The tallest layer in the tropical rainforest is the emergent layer
• Commercial farming poses the greatest threat to the tropical rainforest