MR. CONTAFIO’SCLASS
Welcome to the Amazon Rainforest A Journey through the Amazon Emily B. Block 2 4/6/2011
Introduction
This book will take you on a journey to a foreign land, the Amazon Rainforest. You will find lots of interesting facts, pictures and a short story!
The Macaws natural habitat is in the Amazon Rainforest. The Macaw adapted to the Amazon Rainforest by eating all the fruits and berries. The harpy eagle, jaguar, monitor lizards, snakes, monkeys and toucans. The Scarlet Macaw protects itself by pinching its predators with its strong beak. It also hides in hollow trees to escape from its predators. The Macaws prey is nuts, seeds, fruits and clay.
The Manatees natural habitat is in the Amazon River. The Manatee adapted to the Amazon River by avoiding deep water so they can eat the plants in the water and resurface easier. The Manateespredators are thought to be Jaguars and Caimans, but their only real predator is man. The Manateesprey is underwater plants such as hydrilla, sea grasses,and water hyacinths.
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The Amazon Rainforest is located in the Northern, Southern and Western hemispheres.
Human Environment Interactors that harvest rubber from trees in the Amazon cut the tree in diagonal patterns. Transportation is hard. Mahogany trees are rare. When someone cuts down a tree, others are hurt in the process. There are large oil mines. When there are 3000 hectas of land, there are 2000 Zebu cattle. In the 1960's, 1 million people came to Amazonia for NOTHI NG .
Layer
Location in the Rainforest
Characteristics
Emergent Layer
The very top; all of the Is the entryway for highest trees that are 200 feetbirds. up are part of it.
Canopy Layer
Second layer in the rainforest; most trees have oval leaves.
Plants and Animals that live there Eagles, Monkeys, Bats and Butterflies
Forms a canopy for the Snakes, Toucans and Tree-Frogs. next two layers.
Understory Third layer in the rainforest; Home to a lot of Layer grow up to 12 feet to reach animals. the sunshine.
Jaguars, Red-eyed-Tree frogs and Leopards, and Insects.
Forest Floor Last layer in the rainforest; Very dark.
Giant Anteaters and Insects.
Not many plants can grow here.
The Amazon Rainforest is located on the South American continent. It takes up 7680%of the entire South American continent. The Amazon Rainforest Tribes travel through the rainforest in canoes. They also travel by foot. Sometimes members of the tribes travel through thick undergrowth, and other times members of the tribes travel on roads. The tribes cut down trees that are where they want their road(s). When the area for the road is clear, the tribes now have a nice dirt road. The Amazon
Rainforest’s Physical Features are that it is hot and humid, and the foliage is dense and thick. The trees form canopies and block out almost all of the sunlight from hitting the ground. The trees are very tall becausethere is a lot of competition for sunlight.
The Orchid is a purple, pink, white, blue, and many other colors flower of the Amazon. The Orchids habitat is in the Amazon Rainforest. The underground tubes of orchids are ground to a powder and used for cooking, such as in the hot beverage Salep or in the Turkish icecream
The
Amazon Water Lily looks almost exactly like a regular water lily, but this plant has a much tougher side than a regular water lily, mainly becauseit grows in the Amazon. The Water Lilies Habitat is in The Amazon River. The Tribes of the Amazon made flour out of dried roots by pounding
them. The Amazon Rainforest takes up about 40%of the South American continent.
Story ď Š The climate was hot and humid."Stop this foolishnessright now before someone gets hurt," boomed their father. They had been running around the campsite on the outskirts of the Amazon. They were here for ecotourism. He was always like this. Always worried about his work and never had time for fun. "We're just trying to have some fun," said Elissaquietly. "Well go back to the tent and think about what you have done. And stay out of the rainforest." Elissa and Jadesulked sadly
back to the tent. Elissawas surprised when Jadesuddenly blurted out, "Let’s sneak into the rainforest. Dad will never know. Come on, we'll be back before we're even missed." "Well, I guess." "Yaaaay!" yelled Jade. The two girls went back to the tent and packed a small lunch to bring with them. They walked straight from the tent into the rainforest. The plants were amazing. “This is great!" Elissasaid. All of the sudden, Jadesaid, " Why are you getting shorter?" Then both girls shouted, "Quicksand!" Jadeleaped back and grabbed a vine. With an effortless tug, the vine snapped and came down. Jadetossed the vine to Elissaand both girls held on tight. With all of her might, Jadepulled Elissa out of the quicksand. "That was a close one Jadesaid with a sigh in her voice. Let’s keep moving. So the girls walked through the jungle for about a half of an hour until Elissafinally looked up. "It's about noon. We better head back." But then both girls realized that they had no idea where they were or where they had come from. Suddenly, they heard a rustling in the foliage. They both looked at the bush where the noise had come from. They saw four pairs of eyes and immediately started running. They heard something chasing them and looked back. Behind them where four hungry jaguars! They were in the jaguars’ habitat. They realized that they were the jaguars prey! They ran harder. When the predators were only a few feet behind them, they closed their eyes. They suddenly felt themselves getting lifted off of the ground. They forced their eyes open and they saw a group of howler monkeys beside them. The howler monkeys had saved them! The jaguars started climbing the tree, but then they monkeys swung them to another tree. The tree camouflaged them and the jaguars left, looking confused. The monkeys then swung up to the highest tree in the emergent layer and landed swiftly on a trunk like branch. Elissa and Jadesat down, not daring to look down. One little howler monkey went out farther on the branch and got a two vines. He demonstrated how to swing on them and then handed them off to Elissaand Jade. The girls hesitated at first, but when the monkeys left them, they jumped on the vines and swung after them through the canopy and the understory layer. After a couple minutes of swinging, the monkeys led the girls to the forest floor and left. The girls were not as scared as they had been before. Then they saw an orchid. Elissasaid "Look, that plant is using photosynthesis to make its own food. Then the girls remembered that they were lost and started to cry. They were only two little organisms in a big, big rainforest. They built a crude hut out of logs and leaves. When they were building, they saw herbivores, omnivores, carnivores, producers and decomposers. They adapted very easily to life in the rainforest. They became nomads and joined the nearest tribe. The girls began in the tribes’ culture and worshiped their gods. They thought of their home in Kentucky, where they were indigenous. When they got to talking with other tribes, the tribes said the miners were causing the deforestation. The Pygmy tribe showed the girls out of the rainforest. The girls thanked the tribe and went to their tent. Their father, who was sitting on his cot looking at a picture of the girls, was crying. When he heard them, he leaped off of his cot and grabbed them in a hug. "Don't you ever do this to me again? You've been gone for days! I thought you were dead!" Then the girls told him about what had happened to them. He was shocked and surprised. When the girls got to the part when the tribes told them about the damagemining was doing, their father said, "I will put a stop to this mining immediately! Let’s conserve the rainforest! "
The Pygmies live by hunting and gathering food, including game, honey, and fruits. Mostly the women gather the fruits, but the men hunt for game and honey. They climb almost 30 m (100 ft) to get the honey. They then burn a special type of wood to stun the bees long enough for them to remove the honey Their village is made from canopy like trees as huts. When the Pygmies establish a settlement, they clear any undergrowth, small trees, and saplings leaving the canopy-forming trees alone. Under the cover of canopy, the Pygmies are protected from the powerful tropical sun and can better harvest such things as honey and game. Because they leave the canopy alone, when the group leaves, the area can quickly return to semi-primary forest. The Pygmies huts resemble igloos, with a domed roof formed with saplings and walls of shingled tree leaves. The Pygmies use the plants and the animals in the rainforest for medicines and food and water. Many diseases have been cured from plants and animals in the rainforest. They live by hunting and fishing. They also use the
resources of the rainforest to hunt and fish. Their village is set up where everyone lives in Shabonos. The Yanomami Tribes village is set up where each family lives in a grass hut. They use the products of the rainforest to eat, drink and cure sickness thought the tribe.
Vocabulary Vocabulary Word Definition Adaptation
A characteristic that improves an individual ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment.
Camouflage
Disguise: an outward semblance that misrepresents the true nature of something.
Habitat
Where a certain animal or animals live and support one another.
Predator
An organism that eats all or part of another organism.
Prey
An organism that is killed and eaten by another organism.
Omnivore
An organism that eats both plants and animals.
Photosynthesis The processby which plants, algae, and some bacteria use sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to make food. Decomposer
Organism that breaks down substancesinto simpler molecule substances.
Carnivore
An organism that eats animals.
Herbivore
An organism that eats only plants.
Deforestation
Cutting down of forests without replanting new trees.
Conservation
The preservation and wise use of natural resources.
Climate
Pattern of weather that takes place in an area over many years.
Foliage
Leaves,flowers and branches.
Organism
A form of life; an animal, plant, or fungus.
Ecotourism
Tourism in placeshaving unspoiled natural resources with the environment being the primary concern.
Producer
An organism that produces.
Nomadic
The characteristic of nomads.
Indigenous
Camefrom a certain place where it originated.
Culture
Food Web ď Š
Way of life of a group of people who share similar beliefs and customs.
Resources http://leslietaylor.net/gallery/animals/mammals.htm http://www.ehow.com/about_4566319_theamazonianmanatee.html http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_did_the_manatee_adapt_to_its_surroundings http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_a_manatees_prey&isLookUp=1 http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Who_are_predators_to_manatees Macaw http://www.srl.caltech.edu/personnel/krubal/rainforest/Edit560s6/www/animals/macawpage.html http://www.uniquesouthamericatravelexperience.com/tropicalrainforestmacaws.html http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_does_the_macaw_adapt_to_the_rainforest http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Does_the_scarlet_macaw_have_any_predators http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_do_scarlet_macaws_prey_on Water Lily http://www.bibleprobe.com/waterlily.jpg http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/plants/water_lily.htm http://ferenc.biz/mostbeautifulorchidflowerphotos/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchidaceae http://www.google.com/search?q=holt+science+and+technology+sixth+grade+textbook&rls=com.microsoft:en us&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&startIndex=&startPage=1 Science Textbook KWL Chart www.dictionary.com http://rainforests.mongabay.com/0702.htm http://www.africaguide.com/culture/tribes/pygmies.htm http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yanomami http://www.sarasotaemporium.com/leanintree.htm
The rainforest is cut down every day, and not many people can or want to stop it. There are over 2000 cancer fighting ingredients. In 40 years, the rainforest is estimated to be gone. Producing more than 80% of the oxygen worldwide, without the rainforest, we cannot survive. What are you going to do about it??