Tropical Rain Forests

Tropical Rain Forests

Objectives
To know the structure of a Tropical Rain Forest and to
be able to produce a labelled sketch.
To understand how the vegetation of a Tropical Rain
Forest has adapted to the climate and its surroundings
To be aware of the destruction of the Tropical Rain
Forest and how this has been achieved,

Where are tropical rainforests found?

Tropical rainforests are located around the equator

where temperatures stay near 30 degrees year
round. Rainforests receive 400-1000 of rain each
year. The largest rainforests are in Brazil (South
America), Zaire (Africa) and Indonesia (South East
Asia). Other tropical rainforest places are in Hawaii
and the islands of the Pacific & Caribbean.

What is the tropical rainforest?

The Tropical Rainforest is a forest occurring in

tropical areas of heavy rainfall. It is abundant with
many species of wildlife and vegetation.
Rainforests cover less than two percent of the
Earth's surface. They are home to some 50 to 70
percent of all life forms on our planet. Rainforests
are the most productive and most complex
ecosystems on Earth.

What is the structure of vegetation in the

rainforest?

What is the structure of vegetation in the

rainforest?

Emergents are the tallest

trees and are usually over
50 metres tall. The Kapok
tree is an example of an
emergent.

What is the structure of vegetation in the

rainforest?
The sea of leaves
blocking out the sun
from the lower layers is
called the canopy. The
canopy contains over
50% of the rainforest
wildlife. This includes
birds, snakes and
monkeys. Lianas (vines)
climb to the canopy to
reach this sun light.

What is the structure of vegetation in the

rainforest?

The under canopy

mainly contains bare
tree trunks and
lianas.

What is the structure of vegetation in the

rainforest?

The shrub layer has

the densest plant
growth. It contains
shrubs and ferns and
other plants needing
less light. Saplings of
emergents and canopy
trees can also be found
here.

What is the structure of vegetation in the

rainforest?
The forest floor is
usually dark and
damp. It contains a
layer of rotting
leaves and dead
animals called litter.
This decomposes
rapidly (within 6
weeks) to form a thin
humus, rich in
nutrients.

How did the tropical rainforest get like this?

The high rainfall and year-round high temperatures are

ideal conditions for vegetation growth. The wide range
of plants encourage a huge variety of insects, birds and
animals.
However the key word is adaptation. The flora and
fauna have adapted to the local conditions.

How has vegetation adapted to the climate?

In the tropical rainforest most trees in the

rainforest have wide buttress roots.

How has vegetation adapted to the climate?

This is to support them as they grow incredibly tall (over

60m in some cases) as there is great competition for
sunlight.

How has vegetation adapted to the climate?

Lianas (vines) grow around trees as they bid to

reach sunlight.

How has vegetation adapted to the climate?

The leaves of many trees are waxy and have drip tips to
allow water to run off them (so that water does not
gather on leaves and cause them to rot, it also allows
water to reach the roots on the forest floor).

What is the structure of vegetation in the

rainforest?
Worksheet 14.2
Complete the box answering question 1b
You have 4 minutes

What is the impact of humans on the tropical

rainforest?
Deforestation (cutting down trees) is a major problem
caused by humans in the tropical rainforest. Global
Rates of Deforestation:
1 hectare per second: equivalent to a football pitch
60 hectares per minute
86,000 hectares per day: an area larger than New York
City
31 million hectares per year: an area larger than Poland

What is the impact of humans on the

tropical rainforest?
Road Building
The Transamazon Highway has allowed increased access
to the Amazon Rainforest.

What is the impact of humans on the tropical

rainforest?
Logging
Commercial logging is the major cause of primary
rainforest destruction in South East Asia and Africa.
World wide, it is responsible for the destruction of 5
million ha. per year. Logging roads enable landless people
to enter the forest. In Africa, 75% of land being
cleared by peasant farmers is land that has been
previously logged.

What is the impact of humans on the tropical

rainforest?
Cattle Ranching.
Ranching is a major cause of deforestation, particularly
in Central and South America. In Central America, twothirds of lowland tropical forests have been turned into
pasture since 1950

What is the impact of humans on the tropical

rainforest?
Hydroelectric Power
An unlimited supply of water and ideal river conditions
have led to the development of hydro electric power
stations (HEP Stations).

What is the impact of humans on the tropical

rainforest?
Farming
There are nearly 3 million landless people in Brazil alone. The
government has cleared large areas of the Amazon Rainforest and
encouraged people to move there. The scheme has not been
successful. Farmers stay on the same land and attempt to farm it
year after year. Nutrients in the soil are quickly exhausted as
there is no longer a humus layer to provide nutrients. The soil
becomes infertile and nothing will grow.

What is the impact of humans on the tropical

rainforest?
Mining
The mining of iron ore, bauxite , gold, oil and other
minerals have benefited many LEDCs. However, it has
also devastated large areas of rainforest.

Deforestation is causing many problems at a

range of scales
Local:
Ecosystem
About 80% of the rainforests nutrients comes from
trees and plants. That leaves 20% of the nutrients in
the soil. The nutrients from the leaves that fall are
instantly recycled back up into the plants and trees.
When a rainforest is clear-cut, conditions change very
quickly. The soil dries up in the sun. When it rains, it
washes the soil away. The rainforest never fully
recovers. Wildlife and plant life is reduced.

Deforestation is causing many problems at a range of

scales
Social
Elimination of Indian groups and their way of life
Estimates suggest that 80% of forest Indians have died
since the arrival of Europeans in the sixteenth century.
Most have died from western diseases such as malaria
to which they have no immunity. Those remaining have
been forced away by the construction of roads, ranches,
mines and reservoirs

Deforestation is causing many problems at a range of

scales
Soil Erosion
When vegetation is removed soil is left exposed to the
heavy equatorial rainfall. It is rapidly eroded. The
removal of top soil means little vegetation will grow.
Also, soil erosion leads to flooding as soil is deposited on
river beds.

Deforestation is causing many problems at a

range of scales
National:
Deforestation can consume a country's only natural
resource. If deforestation is not managed in a
sustainable manner a country's only natural resource
could be lost forever.

Deforestation is causing many problems at a

range of scales
International
Global Warming
Rainforest canopies absorb carbon dioxide which is a gas
in the atmosphere. When the rainforests are burned and
cleared, the carbon is released. Also, when trees are cut
down they can no longer absorb carbon dioxide. This
means more carbon dioxide is in the atmosphere. Carbon
dioxide allows heat through the atmosphere (suns rays).
However, it will not allow reflected energy to escape
from the atmosphere. This is called the greenhouse
effect and causes global warming.

Deforestation Destruction of the Rain Forests

Homework
Read pages 236-7 in your textbooks and answer
question 5C & 5E on page 243

Tropical Rain Forests

Plenary
Use your vocabulary sheet and come up with as many
definitions as you can.
Hint. You may find the glossary at the back of your
textbook of some use.

What is the future for the tropical rainforest? Sustainable Development

If development in the rainforest is to be sustainable (e.g. although the
resources are used to aid development, it/they will still exist for future
generations to use) a number of measures must be taken. These include:
Afforestation - Trees should be replanted in areas of deforestation.
Shifting Cultivation - Farmers should move on after 2-3 years to allow the
rainforest to recover.
Rubber tapping - More sustainable methods of exploiting the rainforest
should be pursued e.g. rubber tapping
Measuring trees - Trees should only be cut down when they reach a
certain size. This will ensure younger trees survive longer and will
encourage careful management of the rainforest.

What is the impact of humans on the tropical

rainforest?
Slash and burn
Most clearances are still by the local people and
tribes needing land on which to grow crops.
They clear the forest by slash and burn.
Vegetation is cut down and then burned. The
ash acts like a fertiliser adder nutrients to the
soil. When the soil begins to turn infertile
(usually after 3-5 years) the people move on.
This is called shifting cultivation. It is a
sustainable method of farming in the rainforest.
It ensures the forest will recover.