Y2 Geography: Tropical Rainforests

Adaptations, Characteristics, Benefits

What are the 4 layers of the tropical rainforest and their characteristic, and how high is each layer?

4 layers from top to bottom:

Emergent layer - 40m + (very sunny)

Canopy layer - 30 m (most dense)

Understory layer - 15m (dark and damp)

Forest floor - 0m (very dark, covered in leaf litter)

Where are tropical rainforests found?

Found along the Equator (e.g. South America, Central Africa, South-east Asia)

Between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn

What is the largest tropical rainforest in the world?

Amazon Rainforest

How many percent of the world’s surface do tropical rainforests cover?

6%

What is the climate of a tropical rainforest? (Include climate, temperature, precipitation)

Warm and wet all year round, little daily or seasonal variation

27ºC on average

2,500mm + rainfall (high total precipitation)

What are some characteristics of tropical rainforest? (Vegetation, soil, biodiversity)

Dense and lush vegetation

Thin and poor soil which lack fertility

Rapid decomposition

High levels of biodiversity (more than 2/3 of global plants species and over ½ of the world’s animals)

What are some benefits of tropical rainforests?

They stabilise the planet’s climate by:

• absorbing solar radiation

• Absorbing carbon dioxide

• Creating about 40% of Earth’s breathable air

How do leaves adapt to the conditions in the tropical rainforest?

• Big leaves

• Waxy leaves

• Drip-tips

• Angled leaves

• Gaps between leaves

What are two types of roots in the rainforest and what do they do?

• Buttress roots

• Tendrils

What are epiphytes and how do they survive?

They are plants that grow on other trees, but their roots do not attach to teh other trees.

They get moisture from the air around them.

The roots get nutrients from decaying leaves that get trapped in the crevices of the host tree

Sometimes known as parasitic plants because they harm the host tree, which may lead to the host tree dying.

Why does the rainforest have so many tall trees?

The vegetation in the rainforest is very dense and lush, especially at the canopy layer. Because of that, trees grow very tall to fight to get the most sunlight for photosynthesis to make food for survival.

Why do the trees in the rainforest grow so rapidly?

The rainforest is humid.

What do buttress rots do?what are they

• • Soil only has nutrients at the top part (rotting layer)

  • Shallow roots to absorb nutrients

    • Keeps the tree stable

What are tendrils and what do they do?

• • Sucker roots that allow LIANAS to attach to tree

  • The lianas grow up the tree to get more sunlight

  • They dont harm the tree at all 🙂 but they depend on the tree to survive

How do big leaves help plants in the rainforest?

• • Low light levels

    • Big leaves help them to absorb more sunlight

How do waxy leaves help plants in the rainforest?

• Rainforest is warm and wet

  • Helps it to stay dry, preventing fungus from growing on it so that it does not decompose

How do drip-tips help plants in the rainforest?

• • Leaves grow in a way that water is directed to teh pointy part of the leaf

    • To keep the leaf dry

How do angled leaves help plants in the rainforest?

• • Leaves are angled to help it absorb more sunlight

How do gaps between leaves help plants in the rainforest?

• • Rainforests have high precipitation

    • Prevents water damage