The Living World-Overview of Tropical Rainforests

Question 1

What is the climate in tropical rainforests?

Answer 1

There aren’t really seasons in tropical rainforests.
All year, the temperature is in the range of 21°C and 30°C.
There is lots of rain/precipitation in tropical rainforests. For example, there’s roughly 80 inches (2,000mm) of rainfall each year in the Amazon rainforest.

Question 2

What’s the soil like in tropical rainforests?

Answer 2

Rainforests have up to 80 inches of rainfall each year.
This heavy rain washes away minerals and nutrients from the soil.
This means that the soil left behind is infertile (bad for crop growth).
One layer of soil on the rainforest floor is fertile and nutrient-rich, but this does not extend deep into the soil further underground.

Question 3

What animals live in tropical rainforests?

Answer 3

Rainforests are full of biodiversity.
Mammals like Gorillas (in the Congo), Jaguars (in the Amazon rainforest) and Sloths (in Central America) live in rainforests.
Reptiles and amphibians like frogs, snakes, lizards, and crocodiles inhabit tropical rainforests.
There are diverse insect and bird species in rainforests.
Many of these animals have adapted by evolution & natural selection to survive in the tropical rainforest biome.

Question 4

What is life like in tropical rainforests?

Answer 4

The Uncontacted Indians are a tribe living in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil.
They survive by hunting animals, eating the fish, vegetables, pulses, and berries that grow in the rainforest.

Question 5

Characteristics of Tropical Rainforests

Answer 5

Lots of epiphytes- Epiphytes are plants that grow on other plants.
Lots of colourful animals
Lots of epiphytes
2,000mm of annual rainfall
A lot of colourful and noisy animals

Question 6

Tropical rainforests are highly interdependent.

Answer 6

This means that all the different parts depend on one another, and so a change to a particular part of the ecosystem will have knock-on effects for all the other parts

Question 7

The effects of deforestation

Answer 7

Humans are impacting plant and animal life in rainforests.
Deforestation involves chopping down trees, exposing the forest floor to sunlight and reducing the number of trees in the rainforest.
Fewer trees absorb less carbon dioxide through photosynthesis.
Soil erosion increases, reducing the quality of the soil and reducing the ability of rainforests to support large animal populations. Trees that used to catch rainwater and protect the soil have been removed, leaving the soil exposed.

Question 8

Interdependence between plants and animals

Answer 8

Animals get their nutrition (energy, food, nutrients, and minerals) by eating plants, or by eating animals that have eaten plants themselves.
The vegetation in tropical rainforests is very dense. This means that there is a lot of food for primary consumers and other plant-eating animals. There being a lot of food for plant-eating animals means that there are more of them alive, and therefore, more food for meat-eating animals higher up the food chain.
Because of this, rainforests can support large animal populations.

Question 9

Examples of the effects of deforestation in rainforest ecosystems:

Answer 9

1
Less carbon dioxide absorbed through photosynthesis
2
Increased soil erosion

Question 10

Tropical rainforests are highly interdependent. Because ..

Answer 10

the vegetation is so dense, there is enough food at the base of the food chains to support large animal populations. But this means that animals may eat other animals in the food chain.