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Geography Book 6 6.2
Geography Book 6 6.2
The rich and dense vegetation provides a large variety of habitats for animals.
(3) EVERGREEN
Plants grow luxuriantly under high temperatures and = TRF grow continuously abundant rainfall, (hot and wet all year)provide a throughout the year. Reason: there is enough energy for favourable environment for plants to grow well all year. photosynthesis to occurevergreen no seasonal pattern in flowering, fruiting, and leaf fall new leaves quickly replace shed leaves forest looks evergreen
High temperature and abundant rainfall provide a luxuriant growth for the plants.
(4) Special Characteristics of roots and leaves of trees SHALLOW ROOTS BUTTRESS ROOTS Take up the nutrients in the topsoil Provide strong mechanical support for tall trees
BROAD-LEAFED
THICK WAXY SURFACE prevent loss of water from plants shed away rainwater (to receive more sunlight & infection of leaves) cool down leaves when reflecting sunlight (reduce transpiration)
DRIP-TIPS drain away excess amount of rainwater (to receive more sunlight & infection of leaves)
Epiphytes
Climbers
mainly small shrubs or herbs (attach themselves to trunks or branches; X roots into soil) grow up high in the canopy layer and capture sunlight for photosynthesis aerial roots to capture moisture from the air harmless to the host woody plants that start from the ground layer climb along trees to reach to canopy layer
*aerial roots
e.g. Lianas
(capture sunlight for growth) when reach canopy layer, they will spread out from tree to tree to get as much sunlight
Saprophytes
Parasites
grown in places where sunlight cannot penetrate do not produce own food feed on dead or decaying organic matter (e.g. dead leaves and old wood) grow on other host plants dont produce own food live by taking up nutrients from host plants
e.g. fungus
e.g. smelly Corpse flower (largest flora species in the world), reach 1m in diameter
- killer trees - start their life as a epiphyte as they grow send roots down to ground level to surround host treegrow quickly and block sunlight kill host tree (inherit host trees place in canopy)
How does the climate affect the characteristics of the TRF? The hot and wet climate support a large variety(rich and luxuriant) of plant species. (produces the complicated structure of the TRF) creates a large variety of habitats e.g. TRF in west Africa: 100,000 plant species
TRF in south-east Asian: 250,000 plant species TRF in French Guiana: 6,000 flora species
The rich diversity of plants and animals & the natural environment of a tropical rainforest make up a closely inter-related community. [Ecosystem]