1. Tropical Rainforests Ecology

2. What is a rainforest? In ecological terms- “ multi-storied closed, broad-leafed vegetation with a continuous tree canopy of variable height and with characteristic diversity of species and life forms”. Home to over 50% of all species on Earth

3. Location

4. Forest Climate Global heat and water pumps Rainforests are dark, - they absorb heat. Above a rainforest the air is cooler so it is more likely to rain. Inside rainforest, below canopy, humidity stays high. The forests stay wet and evaporate vast quantities of water through their foliage and into the air above, forming clouds. Some falls again as rain in the tropics but often clouds are carried great distances to fall as rain in the mid latitudes http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/south_america/

5. Climate Compared Manaos(Brazil)London (England)

6. The Forest Structure Notes:

8. Adaptations

9. Fertile & Fragile Soil in r/forests very thin - trees have shallow roots Depends on rapid recycling of nutrients Removal of trees devastates this nutrient cycle

10. Rainforest Nutrient Cycle Abundant trees Numerous fallen leaves Rapid decay to form humus Nutrients added to soil Rich soil Rich tree growth

12. Rainforest Nutrient Cycle Trees removed No leaves falling No decaying leaves to form humus Remaining Nutrients leached from soil Soil deteriorates V.difficult for new trees to recover

13. Deforestation - the destruction of rainforests Forest Fires and Deforestation in Mato Grosso, Brazil

14. The Amazon River Basin

15. Clear-cutting –Starting point for other activities - logging, mining, agriculture, roads, settlements –mongobaymongobay

16. Causes of Deforestation Agriculture Clearing forest for cattle ranching, plantations (palm oil) or crops - eg. soybeans

17. Causes of Deforestation Logging Removal of trees for valuable hardwoods (e.g. mahogany, teak) Often illegal or uncontrolled

18. Causes of Deforestation Mineral Extraction(Mining) Mining trucks, equipment, open pits and roads at the Rio Huaypetue gold mine in southeastern Peru Location: Southeastern Peru; from Cuzco to Boca Manu mongobay

19. Rates of Deforestation in South America % loss per year http://www.mongabay.com/deforestation_rate_tables.htm

20. Rates of Deforestation Worldwide Hectares per year http://news.mongabay.com/2005/1115-forests.html

21. What else is causing loss of rainforest? Look up the following websites and see what you can find. http://www.rainforestinfo.org.au/background/caus es.htmhttp://www.rainforestinfo.org.au/background/caus es.htm http://www.greenpeace.org/international/ http://www.sfu.ca/~ftcheng/educ260/resources.ht mlhttp://www.sfu.ca/~ftcheng/educ260/resources.ht ml http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/features/321 feature4.shtmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/features/321 feature4.shtml