The Rainforest
The rainforest is a forest of very tall trees that has year round warmth. It belongs to the tropical "Wet Climate" group, with an average rainfall of 50-260 inches per year! The rainforest almost never exceeds 93°F and never goes below 68°F. It provides about 40% of all the worlds oxygen!
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The 4 Layers of the Rainforest
The rainforest has four layers to it. These four layers consist of different types of trees and living organisms. The top layer is called the Emergent. Emergent trees are far apart and are extremely big and canopy over the top of the forest. The height of the trees is about 100-240 ft tall! The second layer is the Upper Canopy. These trees are 60-130 ft tall. Most animals live in the upper canopy of the rainforest because it provides the most sunlight. The next layer is the Under Story. This layer consists of 60 ft tall trees. The Under Story consists of mostly shrubs and plants. There is little oxygen, and it is very humid. The last layer is the Forest Floor. There is very little light and air there, so not many things can survive on the forest floor.
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Plants and Animals of the Rainforest
There are many different plants and animals in the rainforest. Dominant species do not exist in the rainforest because all of the species need to rely upon one another. The plants in the rainforest have to make many adaptations due to the fact that there is a high amount of water. One of these adaptations is that they can shed water off of their leaves. Another adaptation is that their leaves are bigger so they can absorb as much sunlight as they can. In the rainforest, there are over 2,800 species of vines alone! Bio-diversity in the rainforest prevents mass contamination. There are also many animals in the rainforest. They too have adaptations for survival. For example, many of the animals there are brightly colored, live in trees, and make loud noises to scare off predators to attract mates. Insects are the largest group of animals that live in the forest.
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Threats to the Rainforest
The major threat in the Rainforest is logging. Logging is illegally chopping down wood in the rainforest because of the high demand for wood. This is killing the rainforest and all of the life that is inside it. Even cutting down one tree in the rainforest can bring down many others and is extremely dangerous and harmful.
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