Tropical Rainforest
By: Usama Ahmad
Where are they?
Enchanted Learning,
Some animals …
The jaguar has adapted to the rainforest for
it is a nocturnal animal, meaning that its
prey cannot escape. It is also has a muscular
and stocky body due to evolution. Jaguars
can also swim due to adaptation.
The toucan has adapted to the
rainforest for it has a colourful beak
for attracting mates, a narrow tongue
like a feather for reaching small places
and saw-like edges on their beaks for
shredding fruits.
The poison dart frog has adapted to the
rainforest for it is very small so its predators
can’t spot it, its coloured in special colours
for camouflage and the frogs skin can expel
poison.
American School of Lima,
2012
Caltech, 2012
Some plants …
The pitcher plant has adapted to the
rainforest for it has downward-pointing
hairs to trap insects who get stuck inside, it
has a special secretion that is appealing to
insects and because it grows in nutrientpoor places, it has adapted to be a
carnivore.
Strangler figs have adapted to the rainforest
for they grow from seeds that birds excrete
on tree branches, then they grow roots to
steal the trees water and nutrients and
finally, it grows up to block the trees light.
Conservatory of Flowers, 2012
Globio, 2012
Wheeling Jesuit University, 2012
Trees have adapted to the rainforest for
they have buttress, or prop roots to
keep them up in the poor, soft soil, they
have leaves with a big surface area for
absorbing moisture and they have
smooth bark to stop other organisms
from growing on it.
Abiotic factors
Average Temperature: 20 to 34 ℃
Annual Rainfall: More than 250 cm
Average Humidity: 77 to 88%
Soil Erosion: The soil rapidly erodes when
exposed to rain after the vegetation is
removed. This also causes floods as the soil is
deposited on river beds.
Tropical Rainforest,
2012
Resources
Some important resources we get from the rainforest are:
• Food
– Avocados
– Guava
– Okra
• Medicine
– Curare (muscle relaxant)
– Quinine (Anti-malaria treatment)
• Everyday things
– Paper
– Rubber
– Oil
Smithsonian Centre, 2012
How did science help us find these
cure?
About 2,100 of 3,000 plants that help cure cancer come from
the rainforest. Most medicines were discovered by
medicine men and then, scientists confirmed the
medicines. Some other examples include:
• Quinine, used in the treatment of malaria, comes from the
bark of the cinchona tree
• Alkaline D-Turbocuarine, which helps in treating muscular
disorders, comes from the bark of curare lianas (woody
plants that hang from trees)
• In Madagascar, the rosy periwinkle contains 2 anti-tumor
agents, one offers a 99% chance of recovery from leukemia,
and one offers a 58% chance of recovery from Hodgkin’s
Disease.
Adventure Life, 2012
How humans affect the rainforest
• Deforestation
Every year, about 78 million acres of wood are cut
down. People are cutting down trees for paper,
wood, housing, etc; These trees turn carbon
dioxide into oxygen at a rate of 27 tons per acre
every year!
• Cattle ranching
This is a MAJOR cause of deforestation. Since 1950,
2⁄ of lowland tropical forests have turned into
3
cattle ranches!
Internet Geography, 2012
The Effect
• Money
The use of these resources affects money because people are paid to do
research on new medicines, people are paid to cut down wood, etc;
• Health
The use of these resources affects health for we can find new cures for
diseases. Trees also make most of Earth’s oxygen and rainforests are full of
trees.
• Environment
The use of these resources affects environments because when we cut
down trees, we’re cutting down something that both plants and animals
rely on to live because they get food and shelter in trees. Trees are also
very important as they balance out the amount of carbon dioxide we
make every day with the amount of oxygen they make, so if we had less
trees, we would have more global warming.
Bibliography
Websites:
• "Tropical Rainforest." Internet Geography. Web. 24 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.geography.learnontheinternet.co.uk/topics/rainforest.html>.
• "Natural Resources from the Rainforest." Smithsonian Center for Folklife
and Cultural Heritage. Web. 24 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.folklife.si.edu/resources/maroon/foodways/more.htm>.
Pictures:
• Halasz, Peter. The Beeches Rainforest Walk 01 Pengo. 2007. Photograph.
Wikipedia, Yarra Ranges National Park. Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 10 June
2007. Web. 19 Jan. 2012.
<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/The_Beeches_Rainfo
rest_Walk_01_Pengo.jpg>.
• Buttress Roots. Digital image. Lonely Planet. Lonely Planet. Web. 7 Apr.
2012. <http://media.lonelyplanet.com/lpimg/28771/28771-64/preview.jpg>.
• Location of Major Rainforests. Digital image. Enchanted Learning.
Enchanted Learning. Web. 6 Apr. 2012.
<http://www.enchantedlearning.com/rgifs/Rfmap2.GIF>.
Bibliography
Websites:
• Medley, Tony. "The Rainforest." The Rainforest. Tony Medley. Web. 23 Jan.
2012. <http://www.tonymedley.com/Articles/The_Rainforest.htm>.
• "Medicinal Treasures of the Rainforest: Discover the Healing Resources of
the Amazon." Adventure Life. Adventure Life. Web. 23 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.adventure-life.com/articles/rainforest-medicine-78/>.
• Talianchich, Renny. Plant Adaptation. Conservatory of Flowers, 20 Dec.
2010. PDF.
Pictures:
• O'Brien, Lee-Ann. Strangler Fig. Photograph. Australia. TripWow
TripAdvisor. TripWow TripAdvisor. Web. 21 Jan. 2012.
<http://images.travelpod.com/tripwow/photos/ta-00bb-823c-4742/-stranglerfig-fraser-island-australia+1152_12911328571-tpfil02aw-13730.jpg>.
• Mey, François Sockhom. Nepenthes. 2010. Photograph. Mount Kinabalu.
Strange Fruits: A Garden's Chronicle. François Sockhom Mey, 30 Oct.
2010. Web. 21 Jan. 2012.
<http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VIvbg_jVdKI/TMyUZriM7kI/AAAAAAAAADs/0jB
AAu4APwI/s1600/P1190933.JPG>.
Bibliography
Websites:
• "Tropical Rainforest." Globio | Where Kids Discover the World | Portland,
OR. Globio. Web. 21 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.globio.org/glossopedia/article.aspx?art_id=6>.
• "Earth Floor: Biomes." Wheeling Jesuit University. Web. 21 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/rforestP.html>.
Pictures:
• Amazing Poison Dart Frog - Poison Frog Facts, Photos, Information,
Habitats, News. Photograph. WorldMostAmazingThings.
WorldMostAmazingThings. Web. 19 Jan. 2012. <http://2.bp.blogspot.com/RaCDTSOccDE/TnmFpsoukaI/AAAAAAAADwg/dndv_CPyE3Y/s1600/BluePoison-Dart-Frog2.jpg>.
• The Jaguar of Belize! 2008. Photograph. Belize. Belize Travel Blog. Belize
Travel Blog, 22 Dec. 2008. Web. 19 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.chaacreek.com/belize-travel-blog/wpcontent/uploads/2008/12/jaguar.jpg>.
• Toucan. Photograph. Education 101. In the Rainforest. Education 101. Web.
19 Jan. 2012.
<http://ed101.bu.edu/StudentDoc/Archives/ED101sp08/costas/toucan>.
Bibliography
Websites:
• Mitchell. "Abiotic Factors." The Tropical Rain Forest. Web. 18 Jan. 2012.
<http://info.rforests.tripod.com/abiotic_factors.htm>.
• "The Forest Biome." University of Canada Museum of Paleontology. UCMP. Web.
18 Jan. 2012. <http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/forests.php>.
• Aleson, Martin. "Poison Arrow Frog." Colegio F.D. Roosevelt (The American School
of Lima). Web. 18 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.amersol.edu.pe/ms/7th/7block/jungle_research/new_cards/01/Repo
rt1MA.html>.
• "Jaguar Animal, One Of The Largest Cats In The World • Rainforest
Animals."Rainforest Animals, Tropical Rainforests, And Other Environmental Issues.
Web. 18 Jan. 2012. <http://www.tropical-rainforest-animals.com/JaguarAnimal.html>.
• "Animals of the Rainforest-Toucan." Toucans. Web. 17 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.srl.caltech.edu/personnel/krubal/rainforest/Edit560s6/www/animals
/toucanpage.html>.
• Learning, Enchanted. "A Sampling of Tropical Rainforest Animals." Biomes Habitats. Enchanted Learning. Web. 17 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/rainforest/animals/Rfbiomeanimals
.shtml>.