TROPICAL RAINFORESTS
Holly
Jack
Nate
Ryan Z.
Botany
Botanist- Jack
Taxonomy
Species
in the
World
Species
in Peru
Species in the
Peruvian
Amazon
Peru vs.
World
(Percent)
Peruvian
Amazon
vs. Peru
(Percent)
Amphibians
5,125
403
262
8%
65%
Birds
9,672
1,816
806
19%
54%
Flowering
Plants
263,537 17,144
7,372
7%
43%
Ferns
10,000
1,000
700
10%
70%
Mammals
4,629
462
293
10%
63%
Butterflies
16,000
3,366
2,500
21%
74%
Fish
8,411
900
697
11%
77%
Reptiles
7,855
395
180
5%
46%
Medicinal Plants in the
Peruvian Amazon:
Local Name
English Name
Uses
Abuta
Velvet Leaf
Fever, diabetes,
Malaria, menstrual
cramps ulcers, etc..
Local Name
English Name
Uses
Ajo
Garlie
Flu, colds, high blood
pressure
Local Name
English Name
Uses
Amasisa
Swamp Imorteli
Skin infection, fever
and cold
Banana Plant
Orchid
Coffee
Brazil Nut Tree
Poinsettia
Cacao
Rubber Tree
Heliconia
Sapodilla
Bromeliad
CLIMATE
The Peruvian Amazon is a rainy, humid and warm!
May to October tends to be cooler and there is less
precipitation during this season. From November to
April, there is a chance for heavier rains and
warmer temperatures. About 80% of rainfall occurs
during these months. Rain can last for hours, or
even days without stopping. Average high
temperatures and low temperatures are from 62
degrees up to 93 degrees during the day. The low
land sections of the Peruvian Amazon can receive
approximately two meters of rain annually and
have temperatures ranging between 79 degrees at
night to 90 degrees during the day. Year around,
occasionally cold fronts can bring temperatures
down to a low of 45 degrees.
BOTANY: SOURCES
Δ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_rainforest
Δ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peruvian_Amazon
Δ http://www.leslietaylor.net/rainforest/rainforest.ht
ml
Δ http://www.ecorazzi.com/2012/02/08/ten-amazingrainforest-plants/
Zoology
Zoologist- Holly
WHAT ARE SOME ABIOTIC FACTORS
AFFECTING THE TROPICAL RAINFOREST?
Abiotic
- Characterized by the absence of life
Such as…
 Sunlight
 Rain
 Overall climate
*the creatures that live in the rainforest have adapted to these certain
environmental details. If it were to change, it would have an impact
on the health of the ecosystem*
In the rainforest, the non-living factors that have an impact on the
creatures living there would obviously be rainfall, temperature, wind
etc. Animals always interact with their environment in order to
survive. Every second of every day animals are fighting for their lives.
Looking for food, building a shelter and things like that. They have to
be familiar with their surroundings in order to do these things. The
weather of the habitat has an impact on what they are able to do for
their families and themselves.
WHAT ARE SOME BIOTIC FACTORS
AFFECTING THE TROPICAL
RAINFOREST?
Biotic
-
A living thing (plant or animal) that influences or affects an
ecosystem
Sunlight and shade can affect how some plants grow- below the trees in
the rainforest, you might not find much plant life, but in other areas, you
might find more species than others. There are certain plants that can
invade other’s roots and infest one area. There is a certain kind of plant
that was brought here to America by foreigners that grows up trees
and wraps around them and suffocates the tree to death. There are
also all the animals that feed on only plants (herbivores) and others that
eat plants and meat (omnivores). Then, there are always carnivorous
plants that feed on insect or larger ones might feed on small animals,
but they are particularly rare.
HERBIVORES OF THE RAINFORESTS:





Gorillas
Spider monkeys
Asian Elephant
Capybara
Okapi
CARNIVORES OF THE
RAINFOREST:







Python
Wood ants
Tigers
Jaguars
Pumas
Leopards
The giant ant eater
OMNIVORES OF THE
RAINFOREST:




Two-toed sloth
Orangutan
Chimpanzee
Toucan
The gorilla mainly lives in Africa by the equator. They are
almost completely herbivores- they do eat insects. Their
diet consists of: leaves, shoots, stems, roots, bark and
insects.
Mountain Gorillas have to adapt to higher altitudes.
The capybara is a rodent that lives in the rainforest by the amazon.
They are semi-aquatic which means they have adapted to life in the
water. Like rabbits, capybaras practice coprophogy. Coprophagy is
an adaptation that helps this animals to get the most nourishment from
their food since it passes through their digestive tract twice.
The okapi is an animal that is related to the zebra, but however is more
closely related to the giraffe. The okapi is a herbivore that lives in the
rainforests in Africa. They use their tongue to eat leaves off plants in
the forest. They learn about their environment more as they live there,
they know where to get food and are familiar with their surroundings.
The giant anteater has a diet that consists of ants, termites and
other insects. They have to adapt to their surrounding just like
every other animal and most likely had a mother to train or
prepare them for adulthood so they could be successful predators
and fend for themselves.
Tigers are the largest species of cat living in the rainforest.
Currently, they are facing the threat of extinction due to poaching
and habitat loss. Because of this, their species is having to live on
less than normal and sometimes, to the extreme, have to move to a
whole new environment. In these new places, they have to find
food and shelter for their families and themselves.
Jaguars can swim and fish- they tend to hunt mostly at
night. They prey on frogs, fish, turtles, small rodents, deer
and caiman (a small tropical/American crocodilian species).
A jaguar’s diet is vast, so they shouldn’t have much trouble
finding food. They were taught by their mother to swim
and hunt so they could be successful predators.
A two-toed sloth moves extremely slow, so they have developed a
particular trait that has enabled them to survive on a low calorie diet.
This diet allows them to spend most of their time living in the trees
which is up off the ground and away from predators. Their diet
consists of leaves, fruits, slow-moving animals and bird eggs.
Orangutans are an endangered species due to poaching
and habitat loss. They mostly live in the islands of Borneo
and Sumatra. Like many endangered animals, they are
constantly having to immigrate and adapt to new habitats.
Chimpanzees live in social communities of several animals.
They can adapt to African rainforests. They generally eat fruit
and plants, but they also enjoy eggs, insects and meat including
carrion (scavenging for already killed prey) and smaller
monkeys.
PRIMARY
SECONDARY
DECOMPOSER
 TERMITES
 FUNGI
 ANTS
DECOMPOSERS EAT DEAD, ORGANIC MATTER
TERMITES
Termites make nests in the rainforests trees and
they eat the dead wood of the tree to help it grow.
They are also eaten by frogs, birds and giant
anteaters.
FUNGI
Fungi helps break down dead plants, releasing
nutrients that help living plants grow.
ANTS
Ants eat decaying animal flesh and fungi.
*Fun Fact*
Ants grow their own fungi in underground
gardens!
SOURCES
Abiotic/Biotic Features:
http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/rainforest.html
http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/troprain.htm
http://www2.needham.k12.ma.us/nhs/cur/Bio96_97/P3/TropicalRF/cgdb3.html
http://www.reference.com/motif/science/abiotic-factors-affecting-the-tropical-rainforest
http://www.slideshare.net/CarrieUnderwood/the-environment-the-abiotic-and-biotic-interaction
Watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiBP1FiNRCw
Animals:
http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/info-books/gorilla/habitat-&-distribution.htm
http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/troprain.htm
http://books.google.com/books?id=SOuIwf9ctK0C&pg=PA2965&lpg=PA2965&dq=are+wood+ants+carnivores
&source=bl&ots=ydbgD9vwQ6&sig=Uz_qG0LFPFESlG_Qh1aTqaZJ0o&hl=en&sa=X&ei=BuhRUajnK4WNygHyvYHYBg&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepag
e&q=are%20wood%20ants%20carnivores&f=false
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/birds/Allaboutbirds.html
http://www.ehow.com/info_8167770_animals-carnivores-tropical-rainforest.html
http://www.ehow.com/info_8082290_types-tropical-rain-forest-herbivores.html
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/chimpanzee/
http://addiesrainforest.weebly.com/decomposers.html
Meteorology
Meteorologist- Nate
TEMPERATURES
Temperatures range from 68-93°F
HUMIDITY
Average humidity is between 77-88%
SUNSHINE/DAYLIGHT TOTALS
The Tropical Rainforests regularly receive about 12
hours of daylight year round.
WIND SPEEDS
In the Tropical Rainforest, average wind
speeds vary from 35-50 kilometers per hour.
 There are roughly two
dry months during the
year
the Amazon Rainforests
and most others receive
most rain during fall and
spring
 The rain in the Rainforest is
mainly about 260 cubic
inches per year
Geography
Geographer- Ryan Z.
GEOGRAPHY
The rain forest covers 6% if the world it is
located in Central America, The Amazon,
Africa, southern Asia, and Australia. Many
people live in the rain forest. When farmers
run out of land they cut down trees in the
rain forest. By the year 2000 about 6.57 billion
cubic feet of the rainforests where cut
down. There are a lot of trees and it is very
hilly.