© oxford university press 2009 tropical rain forest - man-land relationship tropical rain forest -...

© Oxford University Press 2009

Tropical Rain Forest -Tropical Rain Forest -Man-land relationshipMan-land relationshipTropical Rain Forest -Tropical Rain Forest -Man-land relationshipMan-land relationship


22 The natural TRF – The natural TRF – How does it look like?How does it look like?


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)


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)


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


(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.)


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.)



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)



B Climbers

(Credit: Pietro Cenini/Panos Pictures)

Woody plants that climb along the trees to reach the canopy layer for sunlight, e.g. lianas



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)



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’



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)


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.


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


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


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


What animals can we find in tropical rainforests?

MammalsMammalsMammalsMammals

BirdsBirdsBirdsBirds

ReptilesReptilesReptilesReptiles

AmphibiansAmphibiansAmphibiansAmphibians

InsectsInsectsInsectsInsects


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.


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)


2 Layered structureEmergent layer

50

Height:up to _____ metres

Tall, straight and smooth trunks

Umbrella shape for full exposure to sunlight


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


2 Layered structureYoung tree layer

Height:seldom exceeds _____ metres

15

Conical-shaped crowns

Trees die easily due to insufficient sunlight


2 Layered structureShrub layer

Height:less than ____ metres5

Mostly woody shrubs

Heliconia is found in the shrub layer in tropical rainforests


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

© oxford university press 2009 tropical rain forest - man-land relationship tropical rain forest -...

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