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Tropical Rain Forest -Tropical Rain Forest -Man-land relationshipMan-land relationshipTropical Rain Forest -Tropical Rain Forest -Man-land relationshipMan-land relationship
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22 The natural TRF – The natural TRF – How does it look like?How does it look like?
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How does a tropical rainforest look like?
What characteristics of the tropical rainforest can
you identify in this photo?
What characteristics of the tropical rainforest can
you identify in this photo?
Evergreen
Layered structure
Rich diversity of plant species
(Credit: David Woodfall / WWI / Still Pictures)
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What are the characteristics of tropical rainforests?1 Evergreen
An aerial view of the tropical rainforest in Brazil
Tropical rainforests are evergreen. They grow continuously throughout the year
(Credit: Jim Zuckerman/Corbis)
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What are the characteristics of tropical rainforests?2 Layered structure
Tropical rainforests generally consist of
_______ layers.
Tropical rainforests generally consist of
_______ layers.five
Emergent layer
Canopy layer
Young tree layer
Shrub layer
Undergrowth and ground layer
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(Credit: Gary Braasch/Corbis)
What are the characteristics of tropical rainforests?3 Trees with special characteristics of roots and leaves
Buttress roots above the soil
Shallow roots in the soil
Broad-leafed
Leaves with thick waxy surface and drip-tips
(Credit: Jacques Jangoux/Photo Researchers, Inc.)
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What are the characteristics of tropical rainforests?4 Rich diversity of plant species
Tropical rainforests are famous for their rich and luxuriant plant species.
Trees are mostly hardwoods.Apart from trees, there are many other plants in a rainforest.
(Credit: Panorama Stock Photo Co. Ltd.)
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What are the characteristics of tropical rainforests?4 Rich diversity of plant species
A EpiphytesSmall shrubs or herbs
attaching themselves to trunks and branches, e.g. orchids
Have aerial roots to capture moisture from the air
Grow in canopy layer and capture sunlight
Harmless to the host
(Credit: H. Brehm / Blickwinkel)
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What are the characteristics of tropical rainforests?4 Rich diversity of plant species
B Climbers
(Credit: Pietro Cenini/Panos Pictures)
Woody plants that climb along the trees to reach the canopy layer for sunlight, e.g. lianas
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What are the characteristics of tropical rainforests?4 Rich diversity of plant species
C SaprophytesPlants that feed on dead or decaying organic matter such as dead leaves and old wood, e.g. fungi
Found in places where sunlight cannot penetrate (e.g. forest floor)
(Credit: Ron Hayes/World of Stock)
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What are the characteristics of tropical rainforests?4 Rich diversity of plant species
D Parasites
(Credit: COMPOST/Peter Arnold Inc.)‘Corpse flower’
Do not produce their own food
Grow on other host plants and live by taking nutrients from the host plants, e.g. ‘corpse flowers’
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What are the characteristics of tropical rainforests?4 Rich diversity of plant species
E Stranglers
Strangling fig
Start their life as epiphytes and send roots down to the ground, e.g. strangling fig
Eventually block the sunlight and kill the host tree
(Credit: F. Poelking/Blickwinkel)
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What is the climate of tropical rainforests?1 Temperature patterns
High annual mean temperature, about _____°C27
Hot throughout the year
Located at low latitudes, tropical rainforests receive ( low / high ) input of solar radiation.
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What is the climate of tropical rainforests?1 Temperature patternsHigh annual rainfall, usually over _______ mm2,000 Intense sunlight during
daytime causes __________ rain in the afternoon.
convection
Rainstorm in a rainforest
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How do tropical rainforests look like?
Why do tropical rainforests look like this?
1 Evergreen
2 Layered structure
This reflects their adaptation to the equatorial climate:
Plants grow luxuriantly under high temperatures and with abundant rainfall
Competition for sunlight results in different layers of plants
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How do tropical rainforests look like?
Why do tropical rainforests look like this?
3 Trees with special root and leaf characteristics
4 Rich diversity of plant species
• Buttress roots: strong mechanical support for tall trees• Shallow roots: take nutrients up from the topsoil• Leaves have a thick waxy surface and/or drip-tips: to shed excess water from leaves
A hot and wet climate results in a rich diversity of plant species
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What animals can we find in tropical rainforests?
MammalsMammalsMammalsMammals
BirdsBirdsBirdsBirds
ReptilesReptilesReptilesReptiles
AmphibiansAmphibiansAmphibiansAmphibians
InsectsInsectsInsectsInsects
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Where do animals live in the rainforest?
If the game cannot work properly, click here to download the latest Adobe Flash Player.
The animals tend to live in a particular layer in the rainforest.
Drag the animal on the left onto the layer it lives.
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What animals can we find in tropical rainforests?
Many rainforest animals use different ways to protect themselves.
Camouflage: in order to hide
Bright colour: to indicate poisonous
Special structure: in order to escape
(Credit: Michael & Patricia Fogden/Corbis) (Credit: Rhett A.
Butler/mongabay.com)
(Credit: Frans Lanting/Corbis)
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2 Layered structureEmergent layer
50
Height:up to _____ metres
Tall, straight and smooth trunks
Umbrella shape for full exposure to sunlight
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2 Layered structureCanopy layer
Height:ranging from _____ to _____ metres
2035
Oval-shaped crowns
Close and continuous canopy blocks sunlight from penetrating down to the forest floor
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2 Layered structureYoung tree layer
Height:seldom exceeds _____ metres
15
Conical-shaped crowns
Trees die easily due to insufficient sunlight
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2 Layered structureShrub layer
Height:less than ____ metres5
Mostly woody shrubs
Heliconia is found in the shrub layer in tropical rainforests
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2 Layered structureUndergrowth and ground layer
Only little undergrowth, e.g. mosses and fungi
Little availability of sunlight
Mushrooms are a kind of fungus foundon the forest floor
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