TROPICAL RAINFOREST By Cody Brentlinger and Brandon Turner

TROPICAL RAINFOREST By: Cody Brentlinger and Brandon Turner

WORLD MAP OF RAINFORESTS

TROPICAL RAINFOREST CLIMATE The climate of a Tropical Rainforest is hot and moist as they are only located near the Equator Tropical Rainforests are receive great amounts of precipitation a year averaging out to be around 60 to 160 inches Tropical Rainforests usually averages around 64 F for common temperature

CLIMATOGRAM

SOIL TYPES AND CONDITIONS IN TROPICAL RAINFORESTS The soil is the Tropical Rainforest has low nutrient quality rendering most soil in these type areas infertile Oxisols which are mixtures of quartz, kaolin, free oxides, and organic matter The soil is infertile because the high humidity supports rapid decay and recycling of nutrients back into the rainforest, never leaving nutrients in the soil for long

TYPES OF PRODUCERS Kapok Tree : The stately kapok tree is found in tropical rainforests all over the world, It is an emergent tree, reaching 150 feet or higher, with a straight trunk, huge buttress roots and umbrella shaped crown. Many species of birds and animals make their home in the kapok's branches. Comet Orchid The Comet orchid, which grows mainly in Africa, is an example of an epiphyte, also known as an air plant. Epiphytes grow on the trunks and branches of trees but are not parasites; they obtain water from rain and fog, and nourishment from composted material on the branches. Living high up on the branches of trees instead of on the forest floor, offers epiphytes the advantage of greater amounts of sunlight, animal pollinators and wind dispersal of seeds. Other types of epiphytes include bromeliads, ferns and mosses.

TYPES OF PRODUCERS (CONT) Ratta n is o ne of more than 2, 000 spec ies of lianas, woody vines that grow up fro m t he forest floor, usin g trees a s support to re ach the upper layers of th e ra info rest to get more sun ligh t. So me lianas are as l arge in d iameter as tree s, and thousands of feet lo ng. Rattan is a sp ecie s of lia na that is used to ma ke rope and furn it ure.

TYPES OF CONSUMERS The Toco Toucan is the largest of the toucans. It can get to about twenty-four to twenty six inches in length. Its bill is brightly colored orange and black and can get to about eight inches in length. The Toco Toucan weighs about ten to seventeen ounces. The Toucan's massive bill is not as heavy as it looks; it has a hard outside and a hollow inside. A bright blue patch of blue skin surrounds the eye. The Vampire bat looks sort of like a pig with fangs and large pointy ears. The Vampire bat is about 3 inches long and has a wingspan of about 8 inches. It weighs about 1 ounce. It has strong legs. The Vampire bat has a clawed thumb that comes out of the front edge of the wing.

TYPES OF CONSUMERS(CONT) The King Cobra's biome is the Southeast Asian rainforest. Its habitat are the clearings, bamboo stands, and edges of the forest and it is also commonly found near rivers and swampy areas. The climate that the King Cobra lives in is rainy and humid. The average temperature is usually 95°F.

FACT SHEET 1 in 4 ingredients in common medicine originate from Tropical Rainforest plants Amazon Rainforest produces about 40% of Earth’s oxygen Humans get almost everything from Tropical Rainforests such as: § Chewing gum(chicle latex) § Eucalyptus Oil(perfumes and cough drops) § Guava(fruit) § Quinine(anti-malarial and pneumonia treatment) § Various Woods such as Rosewood • 70% of the plant species identified by the US National Cancer Institute as holding anti-cancer properties come from rainforests

HUMAN EFFECT ON TROPICAL RAINFORESTS Human mines leave waste rock(700000 tons per day) near the highlands that have raised copper and sediment levels so high the fish have been driven out up to 90 sq. miles. (The white on the picture to the right is the waste rock. ) When removing Mercury from gold and gravel most of it will end up in the river and can possibly enter food chains of the area. The second picture to the right is a pie chart illustrating the various causes of tropical deforestation, humans being root cause behind all of them.

SOURCES http: //library. thinkquest. org/11353/trforest. htm http: //www. savetherainforest. org/savetherainforest_007. htm