Tropical Rainforests

Topical Rinforests...

Forest floor

• Very little light reaches the forest floor (2%) - so plants grow slowly.
• The ground is covered in fallen leaves, rotting branches and twigs and a network of shallow roots.
• When a tree falls, light is able to get in. This encourages young plants to grow fast. They compete for the extra light and soon fill the gap.

Jaguars, leopards, tigers, elephants and gorillas are found in different rainforests around the world. Lots of insects live here.

Understory

• Low light conditions (2-15%).
• Quite open - there is only dense vegetation along rivers and in openings where light gets in.
• Plants adapted to low light grow here.

Birds, butterflies, frogs, snakes and lots of insects live here.

Canopy

• The second highest layer - 30-45 metres.
• The crowns of the trees knit together to form a dense canopy.
• The canopy blocks out the sun from lower layers and intercepts (catches) rainfall.
• It contains the most plant species.

Birds, monkeys, frogs, sloths, lizards, snakes and many insects live here. This layer contains the most animal species. Some creatures never go to the forest floor.

The emergent layer

• The tallest layer - over 40 metres.
• Contains only a few tall trees which grow taller than the trees of the canopy.
• The plants are made for living in dry conditions because it’s very sunny.
• They have small, waxy leaves to prevent them drying out.

Eagles, butterflies, small monkeys and bats all live here.

Located between Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Just below tropic of cancer and just above Equator

Surrounded by: Indonisia, Singapore, Thailand.

Cities in Malaysia: Brunei, Sabah, Sarawak

Asian continent.

Steady

Between 25-30 degrees throughout year

Rainfall drops from January to April and then climbs from May to December.

Temperature is high - close to equator sun overhead most of the time

High rainfall - global atmoshperic pressure at equator. Rising air creates clouds and heavy rain.

Red and yellow clay like soil

acidic/ low in nutrients

lack minerals such as pottasium as it's so weathered

toxic in high amounts

Early european settlers couldnt succesfully farm land in rainforests as most of the nutrients had been weathered and the soil was low in them

Why do we need to manage and protect rainforests?

Climate change - trees absorb carbon dioxide - greenhouse gas

Medicine - 25% of worlds medicine, Cancer treatment

Biodiversity - 50% of worlds animals

Water - 20% from Amazon Rainforest

Recources - Nuts, fruit, paper, wood

"lungs of the world" - 28% of oxygen produced

Sustainabilty = meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Education - reasarch, science

Ecotourism - allows people to see natural world

International agreements - FSC promotes sustainable forestry

Carbon sinks - paid to reduce co2 levels.

Causes

Logging for timber

Natural Forest fires - slash and burn, ash returns nutrients to soil

Agriculture - commercial farming (palm oil).

Making room for infrastructure

mining and mineral extraction - oil gas coal.

Percentages

63% of Malaysia tropical rainforest

13% rubber and palm oil plantations

18% - virgin forests, not intefered with by humans

30% of Malaysias land under protection

Between 1938-2003 = - 4.9% of forest. 

Effects:

Loss of biodiversity and Habitats - Trees provide shelter for animals. Removing trees means more dramatic temperatures damaging ecosystems.

Increased greenhouse gases - less trees to take in CO2

Water in atmosphere - less trees = less water in air = dryer soil = less crops.