Tropical Rainforest Biome Research Paper

My project was over the tropical rainforest biome. The tropical rain forest is a forest of tall trees in a region of year-round warmth. An average of 50-260 inches (125-660) cm of rain falls yearly. A tropical rain forest has more kinds of trees than any other area in the world. Scientists have counted about 100-300 species in one 2 ½ acre area in South America. Seventy percent of the plants in the rainforest are trees. There are a couple of topics that can be discussed within this biome such as the location, climate, geography, vegetation, animals, plants, etc. The tropical rainforest can be found in three major geographical areas around the world: Central America in the Amazon River basin, Africa- Zaire basin, with a small area in West
These stunted trees are capable of a sudden growth surge when a gap in the canopy opens above them. The air beneath the lower canopy is almost always humid. The trees themselves give off water through the pores of their leaves. This process, called transpiration, can account for as much as half of the precipitations in the rainforest plants have made adaptations that help them shed water off their leaves quickly so the branches don’t get weighed down and break. Many plants have drip tips and grooved leaves, and some leaves have oily coating to shed water. To absorb as much sunlight as possible on the dark understory, leaves are very large. Some trees have leaf stalks that turn with the movement of the sun so they always absorb the maximum amount of light. Leaves in the upper canopy are dark green, small and leathery to reduce water loss in the strong sunlight. Some trees grow large leaves at the lower canopy level and small leaves in the upper canopy. Other plants grow in the upper canopy on larger trees to get sunlight. These are the epiphytes such as orchids and bromeliads. Many trees have buttress and stilt roots for extra support in the shallow, wet soil of the rainforests. Over 2,500 species of vines grow in the rain forest. Lianas start off as small shrubs that grow on the forest floor. To reach the sunlight in the upper canopy it sends out tendrils to grab sapling trees. The
The rainforest is home to over half of all of the species known in the world. There are many undiscovered species that are being destroyed. Many of these species are possible cures for cancer and AIDS etc. Much of the destruction is done by Forest Alliance of British Columbia. Also as the population of earth grows, the need for forest products is increased and causes them to destroy even more rainforests to meet the demands. If this destruction continues, major carbon dioxide is released which, in turn, causes the greenhouse effect. Ranching and logging for materials for houses, furniture, and paper products are also major destroyers of the rainforest. The tropical rainforest can once covered more than 16% of the Earth’s total land surface, but now covers less than 6% of the Earth’s total land surface. Boycotts are the most effective ways of stopping destruction of the rainforest. Tourism also adds to the prevention. People seeking how the forest looks and all of the living going on in it causes them to want to make changes so that the rainforest can continue to