Tropical Rainforest

Tropical Rainforest By: Michael Anaya & EmanoelLorenzzutti

Forest of tall trees that is hot all year around and gets about 50 to 260 in. of rainfall a year.

Brazil Nut Tree • Famous for reaching heights of over 160 feet, the Brazil nut tree towers above other trees in the Amazon rainforest. During January and February, its fruit -- which is the size of a baseball and can weigh up to 5 pounds -- ripens and falls to the ground, reaching speeds of up to 50 mph on its descent. Inside the fruits’ hard, woody exterior are anywhere from 10 to 21 nuts arranged in a pattern similar to segments of an orange. The outer casing of the fruit is so hard that only one known animal -- the agoutis, a large rodent with sharp, chisel-like teeth -- can crack it open. In just one year, a Brazil nut tree can produce some 250 pounds of nuts.

BambusaTulda • The Bambusatulda can be found in the biome of the Southeast Asian rainforest. It often grows as an undergrowth scattered or in patches in the forest. It does very well in a moist environment with a lot of rainfall. It likes temperatures between 40 degrees Fahrenheit and 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Rainforests get around 100 inches of rain per year.

Coconut Tree • People associate the coconut palm with relaxation and shade looking out over the sea to the horizon similiar tall trees grow to be 50-80 feet. There are many varieties of coconut trees. The smallest is called the Dwarf palm. They all have a tall graceful trunks topped by a crown light feathery leaves that are 15-17 feet long. The leaves are a yellow greenish color. The trucks are light gray.

Figs • Figs are one of the most important plant species of a rainforest ecosystem. There are close to 1,000 different species of Ficus, which can be found in every major rainforest, tropical continent and islands around the world. Hundreds of animals like pigeons, parrots, hornbills, toucans, monkeys, gibbons, and fruit-eating bats, feed on the sweet fruit of the fig tree.

Curare • Curare grows as a large liana, or vine, found in the canopy of the South American rainforest. The vine may get as thick as 4 inches in diameter at its base. It has large alternate, heart-shaped leaves which may be 4-8 inches long and almost as wide, with a 2-6 inches long petiole. The leaves are smooth on top with a hairy white bottom, and deeply indented veins radiating from the leaf base. Clusters of small (1/16-1/8 inches), greenish-white flowers are made up of separate male and female flowers

Elephant • Elephants are large mammals of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea. Traditionally, two species are recognised, the African elephant (Loxodontaafricana) and the Asian elephant (Elephasmaximus), although some evidence suggests that African bush elephants and African forest elephants are separate species (L. africana and L. cyclotis respectively). Elephants are scattered throughout sub-Saharan Africa, and South and Southeast Asia. They are the only surviving proboscideans; extinct species include mammoths and mastodons

Gorilla • Gorillas constitute the eponymous genus Gorilla, the largest extant genus of primates by size. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. The genus is divided into two species and either four or five subspecies. The DNA of gorillas is highly similar to that of a human, from 95–99% depending on what is counted, and they are the next closest living relatives to humans after the bonobo and common chimpanzee

Capybara • The capybara (Hydrochoerushydrochaeris) is the largest rodent in the world, followed by the beaver, porcupine, and mara. Its closest relatives are guinea pigs and rock cavies, and is more distantly related to the agouti, chinchillas, and the coypu Native to South America, the capybara inhabits savannas and dense forests and lives near bodies of water. It is a highly social species and can be found in groups as large as 100 individuals, but usually lives in groups of 10–20 individuals. The capybara is not a threatened species, though it is hunted for its meat and hide and also for a grease from its thick fatty skin which is used in the pharmaceutical trade.

Kinkajou • The Kinkajou (Potosflavus) is a rainforest mammal of the family Procyonidae related to olingos, coatis, raccoons, and the ringtail and cacomistle. It is the only member of the genus Potos and is also known as the "honey bear" (a name that it shares with the sun bear). Kinkajous may be mistaken for ferrets or monkeys, but are not closely related to either. Native to Central America and South America, this mostly frugivorous, arboreal mammal is not an endangered species, though it is seldom seen by people because of its strict nocturnal habits.

Okapi • The Okapi is a giraffid artiodactyl mammal native to the Ituri Rainforest, located in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Central Africa. Although the okapi bears striped markings reminiscent of zebras, it is most closely related to the giraffe.

Predator/Prey • The Anaconda and Capybara are an example of predator-prey relationships in the tropical rainforest.

Parasitism • Rafflesiaarnoldii is an example of Parasitism in the tropical rainforest.

Competition • Monkeys compete for their fruits. It’s an example of Competition in the Tropical Rainforest

Mutualism • Fungi and Ants are a example of Mutualism in the Tropical Rainforest.

Tigers The tiger is the biggest cat species and is close to extinction. They are at the top of the food chain in the rainforest.

Jaguar The jaguar is the third biggest cat in the world and it is at the top of the food chain. It’s spots give it great camouflage in the thick jungle.

Mongoose A mongoose is a small carnivores animal that feeds on small rodents, insects, and even some venomous snakes. It is an introduced species. That means they are not indigenous to the area they live in.

Hawk The hawk is a large predatory bird that will eat mainly small mammals but will eat other birds and insects.

Anaconda The anaconda snake is a very large, non-venomous snake that constricts or squeezes its pray to death. It eats many kinds of animals as long as it can wrap itself around its pray and then swallow it whole.

Benefits of The Rainforest The tropical rainforest is the biggest producer of oxygen. It recycles CO2. There are 3000 fruits in the rainforest. Plants can help fight cancer cells and it also holds 1/5 of the worlds fresh water. The rainforest helps us in our daily lives and can even save our lives.

Wetland The tropical rainforest is a type of wetland because it has lakes, ponds, and rivers so the soil around it is very saturated with water. We can preserve these wetlands by not disturbing them. If we must disturb them then do as little damage as possible. Create board walks or docks across the wetland.

Rainfall • In general, climatic patterns consist of warm temperatures and high annual rainfall. However, the abundance of rainfall changes throughout the year creating distinct wet and dry seasons. Rainforests are classified by the amount of rainfall received each year, which has allowed ecologists to define differences in these forests that look so similar in structure. According to Holdridge’s classification of tropical ecosystems, true tropical rainforests have an annual rainfall greater than 800 cm and annual temperature greater than 24 degrees Celsius. However, most lowland tropical rainforests can be classified as tropical moist or wet forests, which differ in regards to rainfall. Tropical rainforest ecology- dynamics, composition, and function- are sensitive to changes in climate especially changes in rainfall.

Benefits • Tropical rainforests are among the most threatened ecosystems globally due to large-scale fragmentation due to human activity. Habitat fragmentation caused by geological processes such as volcanism and climate change occurred in the past, and have been identified as important drivers of speciation. However, fast human driven habitat destruction is suspected to be one of the major causes of species extinction. Tropical rain forests have been subjected to heavy logging and agricultural clearance throughout the 20th century, and the area covered by rainforests around the world is rapidly shrinking.

Preservation • Efforts to protect and conserve tropical rainforest habitats are diverse and widespread. Tropical rainforest conservation ranges from strict preservation of habitat to finding sustainable management techniques for people living in tropical rainforests. International policy has also introduced a market incentive program called Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) for companies and governments to outset their carbon emissions through financial investments into rainforest conservation

Ecological Pyramid Tiger, Jaguar Anaconda Mongoose, Hawks Capybara, Gorilla, Elephent, Okapi, Kinkajou Fig trees, Coconut trees, BombusaTulda, Curare, Brazil nut tree

Food Web Anaconda Tiger Hawk Elephant Okapi Brazil Nut Tree

Tropical Rainforest