2. Description of a rainforest
1. Densely wooded
2. Location: Warm, tropical and wet climate
3. Soil: Nutrient Poor-hard to grow crops
4. Rainfall: Average 80 inches/year
(sometimes as high as 400 inches/yr)
3. Difference between tropical rain
forest & temperate rain forest
• 1. Tropical rainforest: Located in the
tropics; very warm climate and LOTS of
rain
• 2. Temperate rainforest: More seasonal,
less rain
5. Layers of the tropical rainforest
* Tall Trees- 150ft tall; branches at the
highest level; act like an umbrella
* VERY THICK! Less than 2% of
sunlight reaches the next layer;
animals live here
* Trees grow to about 12ft. Home
of leopards, snakes, and insects
Shrub layer * Grow shorter than 12 ft
* No growth, no sunlight &
100% humidity
6. • The Soil: Few nutrients, decomposition
occurs quickly. The nutrients are absorbed
by the trees
• Buttress Root System: Above ground or
very shallow root system
7. Why is the rainforest so important?
• Contains 90% of all living “things”
• 70% of all plants have cancer fighting
properties
• Large amount of oxygen produced in the
rainforest
8. How & why the rainforests are
being destroyed
• Slash and Burn:
Cutting down the forest
for farms, roads, &
other development.
The trees are then
burned
9. • Bio Diversity:
Many types of
animals,
insects, & plant
life
• Deforestation:
Cutting down
large areas of
forest