Rain Forest Adaptations

Animal Adaptations

• Jaguar - only cat that likes to swim, and sees better in the dark


• Spider Monkey - have a long tail for a good grip on branches and vines


• Three Toed Sloth - have learned to stay perfectly still and green algae grows in their fur helping them blend in.


• Toucan - have a hard beak to crack open the shells of nuts


• Boa Constrictor - camouflages to catch its prey


• Poison Dart Frog - are very poisoness and have bright colors to warn predators they are poisoness


• Leaf Cutter Ants - have become specialized in growing their own food: fungus

Plant Adaptations

• Understory and Forest Floor Plants - can tolerate very low levels of light; many have large leaves to catch as much light as possible and drip tips to help them lose excess water


• Trees - though tall, the poor thin layer of soil with clay underneath causes the trees to have shallow roots. They use buttresses to support the trees.

Rainforest facts

The tropical rainforest is hot and wet. Oregon is home to a temperate rainforest which is also wet but not as hot. About half of all the world's animal species live in tropical rainforests. It is estimated that there are more than 50 million different kinds of insects alone in tropical rainforests. Almost 50 different species of ant were found on one tree in Peru.

• Emergent Layer - These giant trees thrust above the dense canopy layer and have huge mushroom-shaped crowns. These trees enjoy the greatest amount of sunlight but also must endure high temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds.


• Canopy Layer - The broad, irregular crowns of these trees form a tight, continuous canopy 60 to 90 feet above the ground. The branches are often densely covered with other plants (epiphytes) and tied together with vines (lianas). The canopy is home to 90% of the organisms found in the rain forest.


• Understory Layer - Receiving only 2-15% of the sunlight that falls on the canopy, the understory is a dark place. It contains young trees and leafy herbaceous plants that tolerate low light.


• Forest Floor Layer - The forest floor receives less than 2% of the sunlight and consequently, little grows here except plants adapted to very low light. Only a thin layer of decaying organic matter is found, unlike in temperate deciduous forests.

Temperate Forest Adaptations

Animal Adaptations

• Bear - sleeps (hibernates) all winter


• Mountain Lion - can climb trees and pounce on prey from above


• Cardinal - cone shaped bill helps it crack nuts and berries


• Skunk - spray a stinky chemical to stay safe


• White-tailed Deer - prepare for winter by growing a thick grey coat and eating alot

Plant Adaptations

• Coniferous Trees - have waxy needles which help them conserve water


• Deciduous Trees - lose leaves in the fall to conserve energy

Geography

Where is the Equator
Where are tropical rainforests located?
Where are temperate rainforests located?
What are the major rainforests of the world?
What latitude do you find temperate forests?
How does altitude affect the forest?

Vocabulary

• forest - a biome that has many trees


• deciduous - trees that lose their leaves in the fall


• coniferous - trees that make cones instead of flowers


• mimicry - immitate


• hibernate - sleep all winter


• temperate - having a mild climate and four seasons


• tropical - Near the equator and warm all year


• equator - an imaginary line on the Earth's surface equidistant from the North Pole and South Pole that divides the Earth into a Northern Hemisphere and a Southern Hemisphere.


• latitude - gives the location of a place on Earth north or south of the equator


• altitude - how high up you are from sea level


• humus - soil rich in nutrients


• canopy - covering


• understory - area of a forest which grows in the shade of the emergent or forest canopy


• buttress - special root structures that spread out from the trunk


• emergent - coming into view


• biome - major regional or global biotic community characterized by the dominant forms of plant life and the prevailing climate


• nutrient - A source of nourishment