The Rainforest

ObjectivesStudents will be able to:•gain knowledge of and identify rainforest terminology. •identify the location, layers, habitat, and animals of the rainforest.•understand the reasons for rainforest destruction.

Layers of the Rainforest:Forest FloorUnderstoryCanopyEmergents

The Rainforest

The Forest Floor The forest floor is a very warm and

humid place to live. Hardly any sunlight reaches this area so many plants that only need a small amount of light grow here such as ferns and mosses.

Some of the animals that live here include:

jaguars tapirs tarantulas

warthogs

The Understory The understory is a very damp and hot

place to live. It is located in the lower branches and tree trunks of trees in the rainforest. Birds and monkeys travel through this area when looking for food. Small plants and flowers grow here also.

The animals that live here include:

snakes frogs bees

The CanopyThe canopy is the upper parts of all the trees in the rainforest. 70-90% of animals live in the canopy! The canopy protects the lower parts of the forest by providing shade and protection from the heavy rains.

The leaves in the canopy provide the source of power for the forest by converting sunlight to energy through photosynthesis.

The animals that live in the canopy include: orangutans macaws howler monkeys

The EmergentThe Emergent is the tip-tops of all of the trees in the rainforest. The trees in the emergent tower over everything, averaging around 270 feet in the air! These trees are covered in direct sunlight.

The animals found in the emergent include many types of birds such as the:

harpy eagle macaws parrot

Destruction of the Rainforests

1.5 acres of rainforest are lost every second. If this continues the rainforest will be depleted in merely 40 years.The rainforests used to cover 15% of the Earth’s surface, now after human intervention they only cover 7%.It is estimated that we lose over 100 species of animals a day due to rainforest destruction.Click on the following sight to review the reasons for rainforest destruction:http://www.savetherainforest.org/savetherainforest_006.htm

The Animals of the Rainforest

In one single tree in the Amazon rainforest you can find over 200 different types of insects.The howler monkey that lives in the rainforest is the second loudest animal in the world.The capybara is the largest rodent in the world and it lives near rivers and streams on the rainforest floor.

ResourcesImages:http://www.tigerhomes.org/animal/images/rainforest-layers.gif

http://www.tikaltravel.com/images/photos/images/tapir.jpg

http://villagewiki.pbwiki.com/f/Tarantula.jpg

http://www.ai.mit.edu/lab/olympics/98/images/jaguar.jpg

http://www.cruisersafaris.com/images/packages/warthog.jpg

http://www.cloudforestalive.org/files/palmviper.JPG

http://www.skyrail.com.au/nd0904-3.jpg

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/08/images/070830-poison-frog.jpg

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/EUR/2400-1197~Orangutan-Baby-Posters.jpg

http://img3.travelblog.org/Photos/24856/185234/f/1417725-Scarlet-Macaw-at-Copan-Ruinas-1.jpg

http://www.whozoo.org/Anlife99/coreybow/HarpyFemalePG_062105_5587.JPG

http://www.vickisturiale.com/xSites/Mortgage/vicki/Content/UploadedFiles/parrots.jpg

http://www.redjellyfish.com/images/rfdestruction3.jpg

http://www.ypte.org.uk/docs/factsheets/env_facts/env_images/logging2.jpg

Resources

Information:http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/rainforest/Strata.shtml

http://www.rainforesteducation.com/life/understory.htm

http://edhelper.com/AnimalReadingComprehension_27_1.html

http://rainforests.mongabay.com/0401.htm

http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/5798/levels.html

http://mle.matsuk12.us/rainforest/emergent_layer_animals.html

http://www.geocities.com/rainforest/3294/rainforest_info.html

http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/ctf/facts/animals.htm