VAULT: Bio161Bruyninckx  bIO160Administration  Tropical rainforest  Sloth  Strangler figs  Antbirds

1.Year-round high energy (light) input 2.Year-round large amounts of rain 3.Mineral nutrient-depleted soils 4.Minerals (phosphate, trace elements) locked up in the living organisms

Vegetation layers of tropical forest. Emergent Canopy Understory Forest Floor Shrub layer

Emergent Layer = crowns of isolated trees a.Tallest trees (40-80 m) b.No competition for light c.Air is drier d.More wind e.Straight trunks; branches high f.Trunk thin and smooth g.Shallow, wide roots with buttresses and prop roots h.Animals visible to raptors; must jump from tree to tree.

Buttress roots

Canopies of trees of up to 40 m forms a dense, continuous layer a.Upper layer receives a lot of light; lower layers much less light b. Leaves are larger with drip spouts to keep them free of standing water in the high humid atmosphere. Molds! c. Branches covered by epiphytes and vines d.Large food supply (leaves, buds, flowers, fruits): large amounts of animals that rarely, if ever, descend to the forest floor. e. Animals do not have to jump from tree-to-tree

Lianas or tropical, wooden vines

Strangler Fig.

Antbirds follow army ant raids.

Sloth moths

Multi-chambered stomach sloth

Theobroma cacao