rainforests cartoons
http://www.seppo.net/cartoons/displayimage.php?album=20&pid=1237
http://www.3dgeography.co.uk/rainforests
WHY ARE RAINFORESTS IMPORTANT?
Flying over the heart of the Amazon is like flying over an ocean of green: an expanse of trees broken only by rivers.
Even more amazing than their size is the role the Amazon and other rainforests around the world play in our everyday lives.
While rainforests may seem like a distant concern, these ecosystems are critically important for our well-being.
Rainforests are often called the lungs of the planet for their role in absorbing carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, and producing oxygen, upon which all animals depend for survival.
Rainforests also stabilize climate, house incredible amounts of plants and wildlife, and produce nourishing rainfall all around the planet.
Rainforests:
- help stabilize the world’s climate;
- provide a home to many plants and animals;
- maintain the water cycle
- protect against flood, drought, and erosion;
- are a source for medicines and foods;
- support tribal people; and
- are an interesting place to visit
The Tropical Rainforest
Rainforest
Tropical rainforests are among the most mysterious of all
geographical biomes in the world.
A biome is an area with very
distinctive plants and animals that have adapted to life in that
particular environment.
Rainforests have covered large portions of the Earth for
millions of years, and can have trees that are 1,000 years-old or
more.
They are called rainforests because they are among the
wettest areas on Earth, receiving anywhere from 80 to 100 inches of rain a year.
In most rainforests, the
temperature ranges from 70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit all year long, and the air is almost always humid.
Rainforests have four very distinct layers of trees.
The first is the emergent layer which has giant
trees growing from 100 to 240 feet tall. These trees have umbrella-shaped crowns that grow high above
the rest of the forest. They have their own distinct plant and animal life.
The next layer is called the canopy. These trees grow up to 130 feet tall, and they form a tight
canopy, or covering, over the rest of the forest which allows very little sunlight to come down. The
branches and trunks of these trees are covered with smaller plants and appear to be tied together with
hundreds of vines. About 90% of all rainforest animals live way up high in the canopy.
The third layer is the understory, and it's very shady. Only
about 15% of the sunlight from the canopy falls, and it tends be
very warm and humid. Trees and leafy plants that require little
sun grow here, with the trees growing to about 60 ft. This layer
has many smaller trees, shrubs, vines, and plants, but little air
movement. There are many animals and insects living in this
layer.
The final layer of the rainforest is the forest floor. It is
surprisingly dark and less than 2% of the sun's light reaches this
area. Because the sun's rays don't shine on the ground, there is
very little plant life on the forest floor. It is an area covered with
fallen leaves, seeds, dead flowers, and fruits and branches that
decompose very quickly. It also has a distinctive variety of
animals and plants that live here.
Rainforest Facts
• Rainforests produce about 40%
of the world’s oxygen.
• About 25% of all medicines
come from rainforest plants.
• 1,400 plants in the rainforest
are believed to offer cures for
cancer.
www.superteacherworksheets.com
