slide2 soil fertility the soil’s nutrient is poor and acidic. Soil does not contain a loot of nutrients The Soil decomposes quickly and the soils tend to drain. Now covers less than 6% of Earth’s land surface slide3 Weather Temperature In the Tropical the temperatures are warm, the weather is wet, and this results a lot of plant growth. The moist weather is from the wind patterns and a lot of precipitation. The rainforest receives 200-600cm of rain. Most of the tropical are near the equator so that’s why the temperatures are warm. The temperature in the tropical is about 20-25C or 68-93F. Provides 40% of Earth’s oxygen. slide 6 Plants The plants in the rainforest have made many adaptations to their environment. With 200-600cm of rain each year, plants have adapted themselves to shed water off their leaves so the branches won’t break from the weight of the water. Many plants have drip tips and grooved leaves, and some leaves also have oily coatings to make the water slide off. Tree in the upper canopy have have smaller leaves than the larger leaves in the lower canopy level. The lower canopy has larger leaves because it’s hard for them to get sunlight when there’re many trees getting most of the light in the upper canopy. Make up 40% of oxygen on Earth. Used for new drugs and medicines that fight disease and illnesses Emergent- giant trees of the rainforest Roots of shallow trees can make a thick carpet floor on the soil’s surface. slide 7 www.lueplanetbiomes.org slide 8 Layers of the rainforest Upper Canopy Has 60-130ft. trees that grow above the forest. Emergent trees are located here, they have a few trees and smooth straight trunks. The way their roots grow is very shallow, and for support their great size they grow buttresses that are able to spread 30ft . Light is easily available Most animals live in upper canopy because there’s so much light and energy that can make many nutrients. Their leaves contain “drip sprouts” that lets rain shed off the leaves, and keeps them dry to prevents mold in a humid atmosphere. Under story/ Lower Canopy Has 60ft. trees that are made of a canopy tree’s trunks, plants, shrubs, and small trees. Little air movement causing high humidity. The view is dark and always in the shade Thick layers of moss coat the branches and trunks on trees Many amphibians live in the under story such as frogs, snakes, reptiles, chameleons, ants, birds, bats, etc. slide 9 Ground/ Forest floor Very dark and usually completely shaded by plants Doesn’t get a lot of light, results a few bushes and herbs on the forest floor The top soil is thin, weak, and has poor quality because of the lack of sunshine Plants on the ground get nutrients when litter falls from the high levels of the rainforest, and gets broken down my decomposers, heat, and humidity, and then the organic matter is absorbed by the trees shallow roots. Animals that could be seen living on the ground are, rodents, jaguar, ……. Animal life More species live in the tropical than anywhere else in the world. The largest group of animals living in the tropical are insects, that are butterflies, mosquitoes, camouflaged stick insects, ants, caterpillars, dragonflies, moths, and more. The largest place with the most variety of plant and animal is the the Amazon river basin, and the second is the islands of Southeast Asia, and the lowest is Africa. Many people try to protect the large number of species of the rainforest from human destruction. Hypotheses on why there are more species in the tropical, than any other biome. The location of the tropical rain forests are near the equator where it’s always warm,. Its was not covered in ice during the last ice age,so the species had more time to evolve. The tropical plants keep their leaves all year round, and creates a bigger food supply for many organisms. Provides a lot of different habitats for diverse organisms.