TROPICAL RAINFORESTBY: J.Q

Tropical Rainforests

• Noted for their diversity in plants.- A 10 square kilometer area of tropical rainforest may

contain 1500 species of flowering plants and up to 750 species of trees.

• The richest area is the lowland tropical forest of peninsular Malaysia which contain 7900 species.• Temperatures are warm through the year and

rainfall occur almost daily.• Tropical Rainforests are forests that contain a lot of

trees. It rains very much and in some rainforests it rains more than an inch everyday.

WORLD RAINFOREST

• Tropical RainforestRainforests can be divided into “ 4 layers” from the top to the bottom.

Emergent Layer

The tallest trees are the

emergents, growing as

much as 50 metres

above the forest floor

with trunks that measure

up to 4 metres around.

And are extremely tall,

umbrella shaped trees

Most of these trees are

broad-leaved, hardwood

evergreens.

This layer receives a lot

of sunlight but are also

exposed to winds which can

dry up their leaves

Upper Canopy Layer

This is the main layer

of the forest, and

forms a roof over the

lower layers.

Also known as upper

canopy

Most canopy trees

have smooth, oval

leaves that come to a

point. 

Most of the animals live,

because most of the food is

available here

takes up most of the

remaining light, blocking

the lower levels from

exposure.

Lower Canopy Layer

Also known as

understory

Not very much

sunshine reaches this

area, so the plants

have to grow larger

leaves to reach the

sunlight.  

Many animals live

here, tree frogs and

lots of insects

Humidity is very high here

and it is in constant shade.

.

Forest Floor Very dark, so almost no plants

grow.

Things begin to decay quickly

- a leaf can decompose

in 6 weeks.completely dark.

Most of the life here consists of worms and

fungi

As a result of the physical stratification of

the rain forests, there is no dominant

species. Each plant or animal thrives on its

own layer due to conditions that it finds

favorable.

Location• Tropical Rainforests are found in Africa,

Asia ,Australia, and Central and South America. • The largest Rainforest in the world is the Amazon

Rainforest. • Rainforests are also found in the tropics between

the Tropic of Capricorn and Tropic of Cancer.

Climate• Rainforests stabilize the earth’s climate by

absorbing the carbon dioxide (CO2) and then produces oxygen (O2).

• In this part of the region the sun is very strong and shines about the same amount of time every day, all year long making the climate warm and stable.• Rainforests also affect local weather

conditions by creating rainfall and moderating temperatures.

Rainforest

Plant Life in Rain Forests

• 2/3 of the world’s plants are found in the Tropical Rainforests.• The plants there provide shelter and food for all

the species of animals. As well as absorbing the CO2 (carbon dioxide) and releasing the O2

(oxygen).• Tropical Rainforest plants live in a warm and

humid environment which allows a huge variation rare in more of the temperate climates.

Commonly found plants in rainforest1. Epiphytes2. Climbers3. Stranglers

Animal Life in Rainforests

• Rainforests are tremendously rich in animal life. • Rainforests are populated with many insects,

arachnids, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals 

Different animals live in different strata of the rainforest.• Birds live in the canopy (upper leaves of the trees) and in the

emergents (the tops of the tallest trees). • Jaguars and other animals generally live on the forest floor, but

others (like howler monkeys and sloths) are arboreal (living in

trees).

Tropical Rainforests

Subtypes of Rainforests• Lowland rainforest – abundant of trees, ferns, and small

plants. Lowland rainforests contain the tallest trees of all the types of rainforest, with the largest variety of species• Cloud forests – forest that is wrapped in clouds and mists.• Swamp forests – occupy perennially wet soils and peat forests

grow on nutrient poor ones.• Gallery forests – a stretch of forest along a river in an area of

otherwise open country and follow river courses into savannah.

• Lowland Rainforest Swamp forest

• Cloud Forest Gallery forest

• TROPICAL RAINFORESTPHILIPPINES

Importance of Rainforests

• Rainforests turn carbon dioxide

into oxygen and reduce the

greenhouse effect.

• Rainforests plants provide sources

of medicines.

• Rainforests are the only home of

many rare animals.

• They also act as a carbon sink,

trapping amounts of carbon

dioxide which would have

otherwise escaped into the

atmosphere and which would have

contributed to more global

warming.

• source of life• Tropical rainforests cover less than two percent

of Earth's surface, but house an estimated 50 percent of all life on the planet.

• key source of numerous ecological services which benefit many living creatures on earth.

• Forest watersheds help maintain the water cycle.

• Forest vegetation absorbs large amounts of water which prevent flooding and bind the soil to prevent erosion.

• In the Philippines alone, our forests contain around 663 million metric tons of carbon in living forest biomass.

• serve as habitat and food supply source to a wide range of flora and fauna.

• In the Philippines alone, 25 million or 33% of the total population in 2000 live in or near forestlands and are dependent on these for a significant portion of their livelihood.

• country's 12 million indigenous peoples are also usually located within forestlands.

• According to the World Conservation Monitoring Centre of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP-WCMC), the Philippines ranks 25th among countries with highest number of amphibian, bird, mammal, reptile, and vascular plant species, counting around 10,127 species Of this number, 6,091 plant species (or 65.8 percent of a total of 9,253 species) and 591 vertebrates (out of 1,309 species) are endemic, of found nowhere else in the world.

• only seven percent of forests now remain as original habitat for these species, according to non-government organization (NGO) Conservation International,

• fourth in the list of the World’s 10 Most Threatened Forest Hotspots last February. 2011

Human Impacts on Rainforest

The biggest causes of rainforest destruction are:• Deforestation• Mining

• Deforestation • - cutting down of tress from an area of land• - Illegal logging

Environmental Impacts:- Loss of biodiversity- Soil erosion- Flooding- Global warming

• Illegal Logging in the Philippines:• Davao

Illegal Logging in the Philippines:

Sierra Madre Cagayan De Oro

Illegal Logging in the Philippines:

Guinsangon Leyte

• Mining - the process of removing minerals from the ground

• Environmental Impacts of Mining- Acid mine drainage- Soil erosion- Formation of sinkhole- Loss of biodiversity - Contamination of soil,

air, groundwater and surface water- Acid Mine drainage- Acid Rain

• Mining in the Philippines

Nueva Viscaya

• Mining in the Philippines

• The End…

• Credits to J.Q