Emergent

Layer

The Rainforest

What is a rainforest?

Rainforest can be described as a tall, dense jungle. The reason it

is called a "rain" forest is because of the high amount of

rainfall it gets per year. A rainforest in South America has about

9 meters of rain a year. The climate of a rain forest is very hot

and humid so the animals and plants that exist there must learn

to adapt to this climate.

There are tropical rainforests in South America, Africa, Asia and

Australia. They are found where the

earth is at it warmest near to the

equator (an imaginary line that goes

around the middle of the earth). The

largest rainforest is called the

Amazon Rainforest which is in South

America. The temperature in the tropical rainforest is around 80

degrees F (Fahrenheit) / 26 degrees C (Celsius).

The rainforests are among the most important ecosystems in the

world. An ecosystems is a community of plant and animals that

depend on each other.

More plants and animals live in the

rainforest than anywhere else in the world! Scientists tell us

that half of all the plant and animal species (different kinds of

plant and animals) are found in the rainforest.

Inside the rainforest you will find plants and

animals everywhere. When you first look, it may

seem like a jumbled mess!

However there are four different layers in

the forest. They are the forest floor, understory,

canopy and emergent layers. Each layer has

special animals and plants that live there.

If you visited the rainforest, it would be

Impossible for you to see all the animals

that are hiding in each layer.

Canopy

Understory

Forest

Floor

Animals of the Rainforest Floor

Tapir Army Ants Scorpion Dung Beetle

Giant Millipede Jaguar Caiman Anaconda

The Rainforest Floor

Very little sun reaches the floor of the forest. Plants that do not

need a lot of sun grow here. It is very warm and humid in this

layer. Fallen leaves, dead plants and animals will decay (rot)

very quickly.

One of the largest and oldest trees in

the rainforest is the Kapok tree. I can

grow to over 60 meters tall.

Yhe Kapok tree has special roots called

buttress roots. These roots can grow up

to 4 and a half meters tall

The rainforest soil get its nutrients from

decaying (rotting) plants and animals. Termites,

giant worms, millipedes and beetles eat rotting

plants and animals. They are called

decomposers.

The decomposers recycle the forest waste to

provide nutrients for plants to use. The decomposers play an

important part in the rainforest life cycle.

Animals of the Understory

Blue-tailed Iguana Boa Constrictor Fruit Bat Leaf Cutter Ants

Tree Frog Spider Monkey Margay Heliconia Butterfly

Green Tree Boa Passion Vine Butterfly Poison Dart Frog Humming Bird

The Understory

The understory is hot, damp and the air is still. This part of the

rainforest is above the forest floor but below the canopy. The

understory is made up of shrubs, young trees and woody plants

that can grow in the shade of the taller trees.

The small amount of light that reaches the understory means the

plants need to find ways to survive. The leaves of many of these

plants are large, so they can absorb (soak up) as much light as

possible. The plants in this layer of the forest grow to around 3

and a half meters.

Many rainforest animals use camouflage. They have colours and

patterns that help them to hide. They may look like a leaf, have

skin / fur that matches the bark. The jaguar have spots to help

them blend into the shadows.

Some animals don’t hide. Their bright colours warn others away.

Poison dart frogs can be blue, yellow, red or green. One touch of

their skin can kill! The Passion vine butterfly is red, black and

yellow to warn birds not to eat them.

Animals of the Canopy

Cock of the Rock Cockatoo Crested Oropendola Golden Lion

Howler Monkey Macaw Pygmy Marmoset Quetzal

Scarlet-thighed

Dacnis Sloth Toucan

Woolley Monkey

The Canopy

The trees in this layer can be 30 meters high. They form a green

roof over the forest below. This roof is like an umbrella and is

called a canopy. The canopy is the busiest part of the rainforest.

The leaves, flowers and fruit that grow here provide food for

monkeys, birds, insects and other animals.

The canopy protects the ground from the sun and light rain.

Very heavy rain will get to the ground. Some animals that live in

the canopy never go to the forest floor.

Many of the leaves on the plants in the canopy are

pointed, so that the rain can fun off the tips. These drip

tips help to keep the leaves dry and free from mould.

The canopy is very hard to reach. To find out more about this

layer of the rainforest scientists have needed to

build walkways up in the trees. This is how

scientist have found out more about this layer of

the rainforest.

Animals of the Canopy and Emergent Layer

Blue Headed Parrots Harpy Eagle Macaw Lovebirds

Tiger Swallowtail Blue Morpho Blue Doctor Brown Peacock

The Emergent Layer

Only a few very tall trees break through the canopy into the

emergent layer. These trees can be as tall as skyscrapers. The

tops of the trees are shaped like umbrellas and they grow on

long thin trunks.

These trees get the most sunlight but they also have to put up

with the hot sun and strong winds. The leaves on these trees are

often thick and waxy because they are out in the open they

need to be protected from the sun and the wind.

Eagles and other birds live in the emergent layer along with but-

terflies and insects. Many of these animals are also found in the

canopy. These birds and insects are important because they help

to pollinate the rainforest plants which enables them to produce

seeds.