By: GabeA Ft. Tylor B In the darkest regions of the rainforest on planet Earth, two heroes seeking to confront and destroy the Dark Side come face to face with an evil never imagined……………………… A rainforest is a dense lush jungle that gets lots of precipitation. The rainforest we end up in is the Amazon, located in South America. The range is 4575 west longitude 015 south latitude and contains the countries of Bolivia, Columbia, French Guyana and others (see map). The year is 40,019 and I am a part of the Galactic Green Society where we are patrolling to protect the rainforest from Villains who wish to obliterate the remaining precious forest on earth for their own gain.
Tylor Blare and I were patrolling the galaxy to confront any evil activity that we thought could be the Dark Side. Out of nowhere, I hear through my com unit “Watch out Gabe!” as I got shot in the right wing. As I was falling, I saw three of the layers of rainforest but I got stuck in the understory.
I passed the emergent layer which had eagles, monkeys, bats and butterflies and tops of trees. Sunlight is plentiful up here. The canopy was thick with foliage and slowed me down. The tops of smaller trees are in this layer. Its animals include: snakes, toucans and tree frogs. Finally, I got stuck in the understory layer because it’s vines. Little sunshine reaches this area. Many animals live here including jaguars, redeyed tree frogs and leopards. There is a large concentration of insects here.
Tylor found me suspended by vines, my ship about to fall and crush me. He used the force to move the ship. Then he cut the vines and I fell on my face. The forest floor felt really hard. Giant anteaters live in this layer. It's very dark down here. Almost no plants grow in this area, as a result. Since hardly any sun reaches the forest floor things begin to decay quickly. “Thanks a lot.”I said sarcastically. As we walked away from the wreckage I looked around me and saw lots of small creatures scurrying to get away.
When we were roaming around in the forest we found a Boa constrictor named Boe. Their bodies can be tan, green, red, or yellow, and display cryptic patterns of jagged lines, ovals, diamonds, and circles. They are carnivores because they only eat meat. Boas are nonpoisonous constrictors found in tropical Central and South America. Living primarily in hollow logs and abandoned mammal burrows. Significantly smaller than anacondas, boas can grow up to 13 feet (4 meters) long and weigh more than 100 pounds (45 kilograms). Their jaws are lined with small, hooked teeth for grabbing and holding prey while they wrap their muscular bodies around their victim, squeezing until it suffocates. Boas will eat almost anything they can catch, including birds, monkeys, and wild pigs. Their jaws can stretch wide to swallow large prey whole. The Boa is a predator that hunts at night. They live alone and prefer dry land, can swim.
Boe asked “Are you lossst sssenorsss?” “Yes!” we said in unison. The Boa is a predator that hunts at night. They live alone and prefer dry land and can swim. Their predators are Anacondas, Jaguars, Crocodiles “I know where the Bara Tribe lives.” He said. “I can take to you there.” He said as he slithered away. We followed him to the best of our ability without stepping on him. When we got to the tribe, the chief told us about how they are artistically talented tribes, making masks, dolls, rattles, blowguns etc. Many of their crafts are made of bark cloth decorated with vegetable dyes. The bark cloth is made of the inner bark of a fig tree and is beaten until it is paper or cloth like. From the bark cloth they make their clothing. They live deep in the Peruvian Amazon along the Ampiyacu River which is a tributary of the Amazon. While we were talking he told us about how someone is trying to destroy the rainforest. We said “Grievous” in unison. “Okay we really need to stop saying the same thing” I said “Maybe we should do something big like get an army.” We asked the Bara Tribe to join us, the GGS in stopping Grievous from destroying the rain forest. They suggested we also try to get the Yanomani to join the cause. The Yanomani Tribe is one of the largest groups of Amerindian people in South America. Their village life is centered around the yano, or communal house. The yano is a large, circular building constructed of vine and leaf thatch, which has a living space in the middle. After meeting with tribesman at the Yano, they also decide to join with the GGS to keep Grievous from taking over the jungle for his own use. They have an army of jaguars that will be helping to preserve their habitat. Unlike many other cats, jaguars do not avoid water; in fact, they are quite good swimmers. Rivers provide prey in the form of fish, turtles, or caimans—small, alligator like animals. Jaguars also eat larger animals such as deer, peccaries, capybaras, and tapirs. They sometimes climb trees to prepare an ambush, killing their prey with one powerful bite. Most jaguars are tan or orange with distinctive black spots, dubbed "rosettes" because they are shaped like roses.
Some jaguars are so dark they appear to be spotless, though their markings can be seen on closer inspection. Jaguars live alone and define territories of many square miles by marking with their waste or clawing trees. Females have litters of one to four cubs, which are blind and helpless at birth. The mother stays with them and defends them fiercely from any animal that may approach—even their own father. Young jaguars learn to hunt by living with their mothers for two years or more. Jaguars are still hunted for their attractive fur. Ranchers also kill them because the cats sometimes prey upon their livestock. As we move down the river in canoes to trade for information and supplies, we learn from the tribesman about how they get the things they need in the jungle. By taking canoes, talking, and building roads they are able to trade goods and ideas. Traveling through the rainforest can make for dreary travel. The climate (see map) is warm because we are near the equator. Also, the forest is dense so not much sunlight gets through to the floor. That makes it hot, gets rain everyday and plants grow faster and bigger. After getting our supplies and information on where the base Camp of Grievous is, we travel back toward our home base to plan our confrontation with Grievous and his bulldozing army. As we travel we encounter many strange forms of vegetation. The first we came across was the strangler fig. The seed of the strangler fig starts life as an epiphyte high in the trees, borne by birds and monkeys which eat the fig fruit. The seedling fig sends down long roots to the ground from where it begins to surround the host tree. It grows quickly and eventually suffocates the host: when the host tree dies it leaves an enormous upright strangler with a hollow core. By using an adult tree as its host, the strangler fig avoids competition for light and nutrients at ground level.
The second was the stilt root. Mangroves grow in wet, muddy soil at the water's edge which can be subject to tides and flooding. As a means of support they develop several aerial pitchforklike extensions from the trunk which grow downwards and anchor themselves in the soil trapping sediment which helps to stabilize the tree. We begin to travel toward the Amazon River to the home base of Grievous. We must confront him with the help of the Bara and Yanomani to stop the deforestation that will destroy many of the indigenous habitats and cultures of the people who live here. As we approach, Grievous’ base we have strength in numbers. We call him out among his bulldozer army and his chainsaw drones that were busily destroying trees. “I come to you as a representative of the G.G.S.; these people have lived her for generations. Why do you only think of yourself? Every day an area the size Pennsylvania is demolished! Think about how many animals are hurt and killed every day! Think about what will happen if you clear the forest! 50% of the world’s animals and plant life would cease to exist!” Surprisingly he came without confrontation and with an appreciation of the rainforest.
Works cited page http://www.srl.caltech.edu/personnel/krubal/rainforest/Edit560s6/www/whlayers.html>
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/arctic-hare/?source=A-to-Z Holt Science & Technology Pasted from <http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/jaguar/?source=AtoZ> http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/boaconstrictor/?source=AtoZ> http://www.srl.caltech.edu/personnel/krubal/rainforest/Edit560s6/www/people.html
http://www.srl.caltech.edu/personnel/krubal/rainforest/Edit560s6/www/plants/strangler.html http://www.google.com/imgres?q=stilt+roots&start=49&hl=en&safe=active&sa=X&rls=com.microsoft:enus&tbm=isch&prmd=ivns&tbnid=snLywsNciwoJ5M:&imgrefurl=http://biologyprojectwiki.wikispaces.co m/rainforestplantadaptationsper4&ei=DeWcTZmNMaaW0QGak8XDAg&zoom=1&biw=1003&bih=463&iact =rc&dur=362&oei=sScTe7OKYS90QHC7YXeAg&page=5&tbnh=130&tbnw=104&ndsp=11&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:49&tx=101&ty=106 http://www.google.com/imgres?q=strangler+fig&hl=en&safe=active&rls=com.microsoft:enus&biw=475&bih=430&tbm=isch&tbnid=hfCuG4c8rxMCxM:&imgrefurl=http://www.jessstryker.com/nati onal-parks/everglades/strangler-fig-01.html&ei=eacTe2JMsea0QG_ypTCAg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=508&oei=uacTeDmCISDgAfmxtG4Bw&page=1&tbnh=158&tbnw=210&start=0&ndsp=10&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0&tx=97&ty= 43