The Amazon Rain Forest is the largest rain forest on Earth and also holds the worlds largest river. It is located in Northern South America, it covers 40% of the continent and is in parts of 8 countries: Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana and Suriname. Covering less than 2 percent of the Earth's total surface area, rainforest biomes are home to 50 percent of the Earth's plants and animals.
Fun Facts!
1.) Tropical rainforests cover about 6% of the Earth's surface, but are home to more than half of the world's species of plants and animals. As a result of deforestation, the populations of Amazon Rainforest species is declining.
2.) The Amazon Rainforest is being destroyed at a rate of 1.5 acres every second. Because of the loss of habitat, many rainforest animals now have smaller niches then they did before. The trees that make up the Amazon Rainforest are also important biotic factors of their ecosystem. With out the trees the soil they grow in cannot hold nutrients and many animals would not have a source of food or a place to live.
3.) More than a quarter of modern medicines have their origins from rainforest plants, but 137 plant and animal species are becoming extinct every day which narrows the potential amounts of new medicinal discoveries.
4.) Rainforest soil isn't very nutrient rich so after it is cleared to make farmland, the area is only good for a few years before all nutrients are depleted. Soil nutrients are an important abiotic factor when it comes to the health of the plants in that area.
2.) The Amazon Rainforest is being destroyed at a rate of 1.5 acres every second. Because of the loss of habitat, many rainforest animals now have smaller niches then they did before. The trees that make up the Amazon Rainforest are also important biotic factors of their ecosystem. With out the trees the soil they grow in cannot hold nutrients and many animals would not have a source of food or a place to live.
3.) More than a quarter of modern medicines have their origins from rainforest plants, but 137 plant and animal species are becoming extinct every day which narrows the potential amounts of new medicinal discoveries.
4.) Rainforest soil isn't very nutrient rich so after it is cleared to make farmland, the area is only good for a few years before all nutrients are depleted. Soil nutrients are an important abiotic factor when it comes to the health of the plants in that area.
Climate
The Amazon rainforest receives about 9 feet of rain each year, 50% of the rain is then put back into the atmosphere through foliage. Through the months June through October the water level is highest in the Amazon River, it rises by 30 to 45 feet this is mainly because of the annual snow melt in the Peruvian Andes.
The average temperature in the rainforest is 79 degrees F and very humid. The rainfall through out the year is fairly constant and the day and night temperatures change with the seasons.
The amazon Rain Forest is made up of four layers of communities. The emergent layer is the tallest and is mainly trees as tall as 200 feet and the trunks can e as wide as 16 feet. When you travel down the next layer to the canopy only 80% of the light travels down. As you continue down to the understory only receives about 5% of sunlight where the plants have developed a unique way to grow. They grow leaves that are very dark green colors and very big leaves and also rely heavily on other animals for pollination. On the forest floor there is little to no plants that grow and only receives about 2% of the sunlight.
The average temperature in the rainforest is 79 degrees F and very humid. The rainfall through out the year is fairly constant and the day and night temperatures change with the seasons.
The amazon Rain Forest is made up of four layers of communities. The emergent layer is the tallest and is mainly trees as tall as 200 feet and the trunks can e as wide as 16 feet. When you travel down the next layer to the canopy only 80% of the light travels down. As you continue down to the understory only receives about 5% of sunlight where the plants have developed a unique way to grow. They grow leaves that are very dark green colors and very big leaves and also rely heavily on other animals for pollination. On the forest floor there is little to no plants that grow and only receives about 2% of the sunlight.