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Tropical Rainforests

By: Ria Singla, Risansha Chhabra, Pratha Trivedi, Shanna-Lee Dixon

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Table Of Contents:IntroductionMap, definition and characteristics Beautiful Plants Cool CreaturesPhysical landscape/habitat and weatherHuman influencesConclusionGlossary of termsBibliography

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Introduction: Tropical Rainforests are the Earth’s most spectacular

natural wonders. They have an extremely beautiful landscape. It is a place of wilderness where there are a lot of trees plants and animals. Did you know that scientists estimate that the rainforests maintain more types of plants and animals than all the other biomes combined? Tropical Rainforests provide a home for many of the world’s fascinating animals. But sadly this precious biome is being destroyed very quickly. Now, lets go into more details about those topics.

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Map, Definition And Characteristics Of The

Tropical Rainforest:

Definition: A tropical rainforest is a biome characterized by high levels of precipitation and warm temperatures year-round.

Characteristics: All tropical rainforests can be characterized in two words: warm and wet. They have tall trees and also a wide variety of unique animals and plant species.

Tropical Rainforests of the World: Central American Rainforests Amazon Rainforest South America Congo River Basin Rainforest Madagascar RainforestAustralasian Rainforests South East Asian Rainforests

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Physical Landscape/Climate

& Habitat!

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Climate:

Climate: Tropical Rainforests are both warm and wet. They have a

lot of heat and moisture and it rains here almost everyday! This biome is located between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. The average temperature consists between 70 – 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The tropical rainforest has an annual rainfall of 80 – 400 inches and 50% of its precipitation comes from the evaporation of its own water!

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Physical Landscape and Habitat: The tropical rainforest has an extraordinary landscape! This biome is

divided into four layers, the emergent (overstory), upper canopy, understory and the forest floor. The emergent layer includes trees that are usually spaced wide apart and have an umbrella shape that grow tall over all the other trees. The leaves on these trees are small and pointed, the reason they are shaped this way is because since they are so tall and grow above all other trees, they are exposed to dry winds. The emergent trees have very few branches with straight and smooth trunks and also have a very shallow root system. The Canopy layer forms a type of room over the understory and forest floor. The trees that make the canopy layer have large smooth leaves that come to a point. The many leaves of the canopy attracts more sunlight for photosynthesis which provides fruits, seeds, flowers, and leaves which supports a wide number of different animal life. The trees create good living conditions for wildlife such as snakes, toucans, and tree frogs. The canopy layer provides shelter under the trees from harsh weather conditions. The layer under the canopy is the understory. The leaves block the rest of the light that gets through the canopy from the forest floor. The huge broad leaves in the understory captures the light making it humid and dark which give a home to large amount of insect life.

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Questions: What if Something were to Change the Landscape of the

Tropical Rainforest? If something were to change the landscape of the Tropical

Rainforest, then many of the animal species living there would not have a place to live and eventually die. This is because a tropical rainforest has tall trees, in which many birds live in and so if it was cut down then the birds would have no where to live. Also the plants that live there might not be able to grow the way they are supposed to because of the change in the landscape.

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Questions: What if the Temperature were to lower of Rise

Significantly? If the temperature were to lower or rise significantly it would

effect the landscape of the tropical rainforest. That is because if the temperature rose, then it would not rain much and the plants would not be able to grow because plants in the rainforest need a lot of rain to grow. Also if the temperature lowered then it would still effect the plants because they also need a warm weather to grow. This would effect the landscape because then the trees might dry up and die which would effect many animal species which live in the tropical rainforest.

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Questions: What if a developer wants to build on the land; what if an

animal becomes extinct? If a developer wants to build on the land, then it would effect the

entire landscape of the tropical rainforest. This is because to work on the land the developer would need to cut down all the plants and trees which would effect the animals because they would lose their habitats. It would also create a lot more pollution on our land. If an animal becomes extinct then it would effect many other types of animals in the rainforest. This is because if one animal becomes extinct, then a different animal which eats it will starve and eventually die and this will go on which many other animals.

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Questions: What if a plant were destroyed, or if the rainfall greatly

increases or decreases? If a plant were destroyed then it would effect some animals which

eat that plant because then they won’t get their food. If it was a big plant which were destroyed it can also effect some other animals living in the tropical rainforest because if that plant was some animals habitat and it got destroyed, then the animal would have no where to live. If the rainfall greatly increases or decreases then it would effect the climate of the tropical rainforest. This is because if there was too much rain then plants might not grow the way they are supposed to and if decreased then both the plants and animals would die because they would not get enough moisture to live.

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Further Questions: Where is the Tropical Rainforest located between?

The Tropical Rainforest is located between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.

How many layers is the Tropical Rainforest divided into and what are their name?

The Tropical Rainforest is divides into four layers and their names are the Emergent layer, the Canopy layer, the Understory Layer and the Forest Floor.

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Beautiful Plants!

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Beautiful Plants: Rainforest plants have made many adaptations to their environment. Here

constant heat and humidity allows trees and plants to grow year round, without seasonal time-outs. With over 80 inches of rain per year, plants have made adaptations that help them shed water off their leaves quickly so their branches don't get weighed down and break. Many plants have drip tips and grooved leaves, and some leaves have oily coatings to shed water. To absorb as much sunlight as possible on the dark understory, leaves are very large. Leaves in the upper canopy are dark green, small and leathery to reduce water loss in the strong sunlight. Some trees will grow large leaves at the lower canopy level and small leaves in the upper canopy. Many trees have buttress and stilt roots for extra support in the shallow, wet soil of the rainforests. Vines are the most common type of plant found in the tropical rainforest. They are called lianas. Did you know that there are over 2500 species of vines growing in this biome? The vines grow from one tree to another and make up 40% of the canopy leaves. Tropical Rainforests contain an estimated 80 percent of the plant's green plant life. However, they only represent 2 percent of the Earth's surface. This means we need to take care of all these beautiful plants that are a part of our planet. If we don’t start to care for these plants now, they can easily become endangered or extinct.

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Questions: What if Something were to Change the Landscape of the

Tropical Rainforest? If something were to change the landscape of the tropical

rainforest then many of the plants can become endangered or even extinct. If one plant gets extinct it can effect the whole biome because if an animal eats the plant and it can’t find it then it will die and will effect many other animals too.

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Questions: What if the temperature were to rise or lower

significantly? If the temperature were to rise or lower significantly, then the

plants would not be able to grow properly and could die and even become endangered or extinct. This would also effect the animals that eat the plant or use it as a habitat because then they won’t be able to find that plant to eat or live in and will soon die.

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Questions: What if a developer wants to build on the land; what if an

animal becomes extinct? If a developer wants to build on the land then he/she would have

to cut down all the trees and plants which would effect the whole ecosystem. That is because if all the plants are cut down then animals who eat plants won’t have any food or habitat. Also it will cause global warming because the trees that are going to be cut down and will release the carbon dioxide that they have stored in them. If an animal becomes extinct then it would effect the plant because when the animal eats a plant and then walks somewhere else, it drops the seed from the plant which causes the plant to reproduce. If the animal which eats that plant gets extinct then it will be hard for the plant to reproduce.

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Questions: What if a plant were destroyed, or if the rainfall greatly

increases or decreases? If a plant were destroyed then it would be hard for the animal

that eats that plant because it won’t get food and will eventually die. Also it would be hard for the animal if the plant was its habitat. If the rainfall greatly increases or decreases then the plants won’t be able to grow properly because they would either be getting too much water or too less water.

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Further Questions: What are some features that Tropical Rainforest plants

have that help them shed water off of them?

Some features that the plants have are drip tips, grooved leaves and sometimes oily coatings which help them shed water off of them.

What is the most common plant found in the Tropical Rainforest and what is it called?

The most common plant found in Tropical Rainforests are vines and they are called lianas.

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Cool Creatures!

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Cool Creatures: Did you know the Tropical Rainforest is home to more than half the animals in the world! Life

inside the wet and dangerous tropical rainforest can be hard to survive for some while cougars and pumas ready to attack, the python ready to bite and the birds chirping overhead. “The intense competition from other species makes rainforest species the most interesting.”

Endangered Species There are millions of endangered species in the tropical rainforest such as the gorilla, the

orang-utan, the southern cassowary and Queen Alexandra Birdwing Butterfly, etc. One day these species can become extinct unless we start helping the environment by less pollution and reusable resources.

Extinct Species There are probably thousands of extinct animals in the world that you have ever even heard

about. The most interesting species are the giant boas, the Cerrejonisuchus and phoberomys, they have been extinct many years ago but the world is still surprised with the size and format of them. Sixty million years ago the world was filled with giants such as the giant boas. It was about 40 feet long and weighed about 2500 pounds. The Cerrejonisuchus is very much like the crocodile, but it is only 7 or 8 feet tall. Eight million years ago there was a creature that looked like the guinea pig but is the size of a bull, it’s the Phoberomys. This giant rodent lived in the Amazon and eats underwater vegetation.

These amazing creatures did exist once and scientists are doing research on why they got extinct.

Cool Fact: Did you know the southern cassowary weighs 130 pounds! So remember to always try and save animal life by taking care of our planet because “every

little bit counts”.

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Questions: What would happen if something were to change the

landscape of the tropical rainforest? If the landscape of the tropical rainforest were to change the

animals could be affected by losing their shelter. Also some animals could become endangered or even extinct because their bodies won’t be used to the new landscape and so they could die which would effect many other animals which eat that animal.

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Questions: What if the temperature were to rise or lower

significantly? If the temperature were to rise, some animals could become

extinct and there might not be enough water for the animals to be hydrated (the water could evaporate due to the heat). If the temperature were to lower the animals habitats could be destroyed and/or the animals could die of the cold because their bodies won’t be used to that temperature.

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Questions: What if a developer wants to build on the land; what if an

animal becomes extinct? If a developer wants to build on land, the animal’s habitat and

food could be destroyed. It would also be bad because the construction will cause pollution (sand flying, the vehicles/transportation that brings the supplies to the area). If an animal becomes extinct then it would affect other animals which eat that animal and if can’t find it then it will die which will cause more problems to other animals.

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Questions: What if a plant were destroyed, or if the rainfall greatly

increases or decreases? If a plant were destroyed the animal that eats that particular

plant could also be endangered or extinct because it would be starving for that plant. It is like the food chain if something becomes extinct so does the other species that eats it and so on. If the rainfall greatly increases or decreases it would cause animals to die because the animal’s bodies won’t be used to that climate. The animals in the rainforest need the right amount of rain so if there is too much or little of it, it can really harm them.

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Further Questions: Why do more animal species live in the tropical

rainforest than any other parts of the world?

Scientists believe that there is a great diversity of animals in the rainforest because the tropical rainforest is one of the oldest places on Earth. Many tropical rainforest have been around for millions of years, when the dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

Do different species of plants and animals ever help each other out?

Many animals have developed relationships among each other that benefit both species. Did you know even the animals help out the trees/plants? Just like the trees/plants helps the animal species by giving them food, the birds eat the fruit and let the seed drop somewhere in the Tropical Rainforest (this helps the tree and the animal because then more trees/plants will grow).

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Human Influences:

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Human Influences: Tropical rainforests are the beauty of our earth but right now they are

facing a major problem from us humans which is deforestation. Humans have cut down and destroyed more than half the world’s rainforests for its timber, minerals, medicines and a place to settle in. We also cut down this biome to make space for roads, farm land and buildings. But what we don’t know is that deforestation also has a big impact on us. Rainforest canopies absorb carbon dioxide which is a gas in the atmosphere. When the rainforests are burned and cleared, the carbon is released. Also, when trees are cut down they can no longer absorb carbon dioxide. This means more carbon dioxide is in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide allows heat through the atmosphere (sun’s rays). However, it will not allow reflected energy to escape from the atmosphere. This is called the greenhouse effect and causes global warming. Deforestation can also cause increase in pollution and global warming. Another big effect from deforestation is a loss of habitat for millions of species. About 70% of the earth’s land animals and plants live in rainforests, and many cannot survive the deforestation. There are many negative effects from deforestation and the only solution to this is to simply stop cutting down trees.

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Questions: What if something were to change the landscape of the

tropical rainforest? If something were to change the landscape of the tropical

rainforest then the plants and animals will not be able to survive because they have lived in the tropical rainforest for their whole life and their bodies have adapted to it, so they won’t be able to live in a different landscape. If the plants and animals die, we would lose some of the resources that we get from them such as medicines, food, fur, leather and many other things. The change in the landscape will also cause the soil to die or dry out. And if there is not any good soil on the land then plants won’t be able to grow properly.

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Questions: What if the temperature were to lower or rise

significantly? If the temperature in the tropical rainforest were to lower or rise

significantly, then the plants, animals and soil would get disturbed. The soil, animals and plants would die or would not grow properly because they have not adapted to that climate. It would also effect everyone who uses the rainforest for resources because those resources might be provided for us anymore.

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Questions:

Questions: What if a developer wants to build on the land; what if an

animal becomes extinct? If a developer wants to build on the land then he/she would have

to cut down the trees which would effect the plants and animals living there because there habitat and food would be cut down. Cutting down trees also effects humans because by doing that we are creating more pollution and global warming. If an animal becomes extinct then it would have an affect to the whole ecosystem. That is because if one of the animals gets extinct then another animals which eat it will not get food and will die which will effect the rest of the animals too and if that keeps happening we could lose many of the Earth’s animals.

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Questions: What if a plant were destroyed, or if the rainfall greatly

increases or decreases? If a plant were destroyed, then we would not get the medicines,

wood and paper that we get from it. It would also effect the animals that eat that plant because they won’t get their food. If the rainfall greatly increases or decreases then it would effect the plants and the soil because they would be getting more or less water then they need. So the plants won’t grow properly if don’t get the right amount of water. And that also effects us because the plants that we use are not growing properly.

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Further Questions: What are two effects of deforestation?

Two effects of deforestation are that it causes global warming because the trees release the carbon-dioxide that has been stored in them which heats up the atmosphere (greenhouse effect). Another effect is that there is habitat loss for millions of species.

Why do humans cut down Tropical Rainforests?

Some reasons for why humans cut down tropical rainforests is for timber, minerals, medicines, a place to settle in, roads and other buildings and offices.

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Glossary Of Terms: Absorb: to suck up or drink in (a liquid); soak up: A sponge absorbs

water. Adaptation: the act of adapting; adjusting Deforestation: to divest or clear of forests or trees: Poor planning

deforested the area in ten years. Endangered: threatened with extinction: The bald eagle may be

endangered. Extinct: no longer in existence; that has ended or died out: an extinct

species of fish. Humidity: hot condition; moistness; dampness. Lianas: any of various usually woody vines that may climb as high as

the tree canopy in a tropical forest. Moisture: condensed or diffused liquid, especially water: moisture in

the air.

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Conclusion: Now you know everything about Tropical Rainforests

like its climate, landscape, plant life, animal life and human influences. We hope you learned something new and enjoyed our presentation and also learned to take care of our Tropical Rainforests! Thank-you for listening!

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Bibliography: http://www.ehow.com/list_6456928_extinct-animals-amazon-

rainforest.html http://library.thinkquest.org/11353/trforest.htm http://www.lizasreef.com/hope%20for%20the%20rain%20forests/

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