1 minute read
Introduction
1 Rainforest trees produce oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide, helping to reduce the effects of climate change.
Rainforests help maintain the world’s water cycle. Trees and plants release water from their leaves, which contributes to the formation of rainclouds.
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The roots of rainforest trees help keep the soil anchored. Without them, soil can be eroded by the wind and rain.
Tropical rainforests provide a habitat for over 30 million species of plants and animals.
Tropical rainforests are known as the ‘world’s largest pharmacy’. More than 25 percent of modern medicines originated from rainforest plants. Tropical rainforests can be found in Asia, the Americas, Africa, Australia and on many Pacific Islands. They are warm, wet forests in the tropics (close to the equator), and they have a rich diversity of life. Although they cover just 6 percent of the planet’s surface, they are home to around 45 to 80 percent of all plant and animal species.
LAYERS OF THE RAINFOREST
Tropical rainforests are structured in layers: emergent layer, canopy, understorey and forest floor. Each layer receives different amounts of sunlight and rainfall, and this affects what kinds of plants and animals live there. Rivers form another ecosystem of the rainforest. The layers of the rainforest aren’t separate. The species from each layer interact with each other, and many move between layers.
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
In this book, you can journey from the top to the bottom of a tropical rainforest, exploring each layer in turn. Discover the weird and wonderful animals that inhabit the rainforest and learn how they have adapted to their particular environment.
Have a good trip!
RIVER -30-0 m (-98-0 feet)
Tropical rainforests have some of the largest rivers in the world, fed by countless smaller tributaries, streams and creeks.
EMERGENT LAYER 40-70 m (131-230 feet)
This is made up of the tallest trees of the rainforest.
CANOPY 30-40 m (98-131 feet)
The ‘roof’ of the rainforest contains the majority of rainforest life.
UNDERSTOREY 5-30 m (16-98 feet)
A shady place of plants and small or young trees.
FOREST FLOOR 0-5 m (0-16 feet)
This layer receives less than 2 percent of sunlight.
