Starter Write the date and title and answer as many of the following

questions as you can! Use your books to help you!

Tier 2

Weather Climate Location

World Adaptation

Planners

ON DESK!!

Tier 3

Vegetation Ecosystem

Tropical Equator Biome

16 March 2020 Title: Adaptations in the Tropical Rainforest

Last Lesson

1. Name the 4 different layers of the rainforest

2. Can you describe some characteristics of each layer?

Last Week

1. What is the climate like in the tropical rainforest?

Older

1. Where are tropical rainforests located?

Progress

To be able to

identify different

things plants and

animals need to

survive

To be able to

explain why plants

need to adapt in

the tropical

rainforest

To be able to

consider the

weather and

climate of the

tropical rainforest

to suggest how

plants could adapt

further

Planners

ON DESK!!

Tier 2

Weather Climate Location

World Adaptation

Tier 3

Vegetation Ecosystem

Tropical Equator Biome

16 March 2020 Title: Adaptations in the Tropical Rainforest

Write down what plants

need to survive, and why.

What do plants really need to stay alive?

•Water

•Light

(photosynthesis)

•Warmth

•Nutrients

•Able to reproduce

Tier 2 Key Word: Adaptation

To adapt is to change to suit new conditions or for a purpose

How have you ever had to adapt?

How do you adapt to certain kinds of

weather?

Annual climate Manaus, Brazil

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Rainfall (in mm)

Temperature in oC

Have a look at the graph and the important fact below. Why

are the conditions excellent for plants in the tropical

rainforest?Important

fact:

Almost 12

hours of

sunlight

every day

of the year

+

Plants in rainforests are therefore very lucky because potentially they

have:

Lots of rainfall + always warm + lots of light

0

30

50 °C

In the rainforest there is the highest level of plant

adaptation on the planet!

This is because all the plants are fighting for the

same things – sun, rain, heat!

The 4 layers of the rainforest you learnt about last lesson

were created by this level of competition.

Emergent

Canopy

Under Canopy/Under

Storey

Shrub layer5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45The layers of vegetation

in the rainforest

In each layer of the rainforest, what do plants need to adapt to, to be able to survive.

1. Forest floor/Shrub layer2. Under canopy3. Canopy4. The Emergents

What is the weather like there? Sun? rain?Is it dark or light?

On the forest floor it is very dark and wet so plants need to adapt to be able to survive there.In the under canopy …In the canopy…At the top, the emergent…

Buttress roots Epiphytes Drip tip leaves Lianas Pitcher plants

Large roots Plants that live on

the trunk and

branches of other

plants

Shaped to allow

water to run off to

the roots

Found climbing the

trunks of trees

Has sweet smelling

nectar to attract

insects

Grow very fast Allows water to

runoff the plant very

quickly avoiding

burning

Has a “pitcher” or

jar shape to collect

water

Searching roots

which help to

collect most of the

nutrients in the soil

Often found just

beneath the canopy

Has a very sticky

inside to stop

creatures crawling

out.

Take advantage of

the sunlight that

filters though to the

under canopy

Have coils in the

stem to stop them

snapping if put

under pressure

Found on almost all

plants in the

rainforest

Gives tall emergent

trees a stable base

Climb all the way

from the canopy to

reach sunlight

Take water and

sugar out of the

tree branches

Not damaged by

heavy rain

We are going to look at few

examples of plants that have

adapted to life in the

rainforest…

Cut out the pictures and we are going to label them one by one.

Buttress Roots

Trees in the rainforest have

very shallow roots.

But tall trees need support to

stop them from falling over.

They have developed

Buttress Roots which grow

from the base of the tree and

can be as tall as 15feet

above the ground!

Another form of buttress root (tilt or Prop Roots)

Epiphytes

These plants grow

on the tree without

soil.

The seeds get

blown high up the

tree.

Here they are able

to get more light.

The roots steal

water from the

tree.

Drip Tip Leaves

Almost all plants in

the rainforest have

these kinds of leaves.

These leaves make

sure the rain runs off

the leaves and

doesn’t damage the

leaf.

Bromeliads

Their thick, waxy leaves form a bowl shape in the centre for

catching rainwater.

These plants provide a home for several different animals.

Lianas

These are thick, woody

vines that can be found in

the rainforest.

They can be up to 1km

long!

They start growing on the

forest floor but grow

upwards to get the sun

they need to survive.

Pitcher Plant

This plant catches small

animals like spiders and

ants.

It has adapted in this way

because there are very little

nutrients available on the

forest floor.

It smells sweet to attract

insects!

What does it look like?

Tree trunks are

straight and do

not have

branches in the

lower part so

they can grow

taller.

All the branches

and leaves grow

at the top of the

tree to catch the

sunlight

15

4

3

2

Quiz: Which adaptation/living thing is being described here

1. Stops the plant from being damaged by the rain.

2. Helps trees to get lots of nutrients (good stuff) from the soil.

3. Supports emergent trees (the tall trees)

4. Lives close to the forest floor.

5. Grow very quickly to reach the light in the canopy.

6. Do not have roots on the ground.

7. Rely on animals to get nutrients (good stuff)

Task:

1. How would you need to adapt to live in the rainforest?

OR.

2. How could this plant adapt to live in the rainforest to make sure it gets sun, rain, heat or nutrients (food)?

OR.

3. Design your own plant with adaptations, draw it and label each adaptation with an explanation of how it helps the plants.

Progress

To be able to

identify different

things plants and

animals need to

survive

To be able to

explain why plants

need to adapt in

the tropical

rainforest

To be able to

consider the

weather and

climate of the

tropical rainforest

to suggest how

plants could adapt

further

Planners

ON DESK!!

Tier 2

Weather Climate Location

World

Tier 3

Vegetation Ecosystem

Tropical Equator Biome

16 March 2020 Title: Adaptations in the Tropical Rainforest