Rainforests are also home to endangered or protected animals such as the Sumatran rhino , orangutans , and jaguars. Forest trees also absorb carbon, an important function needed as human-caused greenhouse gas emissions stoke climate change.
Rainforest loss is a double-whammy for the climate: It contributes emissions while removing a future potential source of carbon storage. Human activity has caused tropical rainforests to emit more carbon dioxide than they absorb at this point, according to one study.
Organizations and governments around the world are engaged in trying to protect rainforests. In Indonesia, notes Global Forest Watch , primary forest loss in dropped to its lowest rate since after the government enacted policies to protect certain areas. Conservation groups, activists, and indigenous communities also play an important role. National Geographic Explorer Topher White, for example, has come up with a way to use recycled cell phones to monitor for chainsaws , while other groups, including the Rainforest Action Network and Conservation International , are working to monitor forests and create economies that thrive by protecting these ecosystems rather than destroying them, such as local tourism and sustainable products.
In Brazil, thousands of indigenous people have staged demonstrations to reinforce their claim to threatened lands, arguing that they are often better stewards of rainforests and the wildlife they contain than national governments. Other efforts focus on reforestation, planting trees and reintroducing wildlife—in the Amazon, for example, a large-scale project announced in aims to plant 73 million trees.
You can help too. Support conservation efforts, consider ecotourism vacations , and look for sustainable products and meats where possible, using certifications and ratings from nonprofit groups such as the Forest Stewardship Council , the Rainforest Alliance , and the World Wildlife Fund. All rights reserved. Why "rain" forests?
Share Tweet Email. Why it's so hard to treat pain in infants. This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city Caracals have learned to hunt around the urban edges of Cape Town, though the predator faces many threats, such as getting hit by cars.
India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big. Environment Planet Possible India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big Grassroots efforts are bringing solar panels to rural villages without electricity, while massive solar arrays are being built across the country. Go Further. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city. The Brazil nut tree, a vulnerable species , can live up to 1, years in undisturbed rainforest habitats.
Unlike many rainforest species, both the Brazil nut tree and the kapok tree are deciduous —they shed their leaves during the dry season. The animals living in the emergent layer of the Amazon rainforest include birds, bats, gliders, and butterflies. Large raptors, such as white-tailed hawks and harpy eagles, are its top predator s. In rainforests on the island of New Guinea, pygmy gliders populate the emergent layer. Pygmy gliders are small rodent s that get their name from the way flaps of skin between their legs allow them to glide from branch to branch.
Bats are the most diverse mammal species in most tropical rainforests, and they regularly fly throughout the emergent, canopy, and understory layers.
Beneath the emergent layer is the canopy , a deep layer of vegetation roughly 6 meters 20 feet thick. The canopy blocks winds, rainfall, and sunlight, creating a humid , still, and dark environment below. Trees have adapt ed to this damp environment by producing glossy leaves with pointed tips that repel water.
While trees in the emergent layer rely on wind to scatter their seeds, many canopy plants, lacking wind, encase their seeds in fruit. Sweet fruit entice s animals, which eat the fruit and deposit seeds on the forest floor as droppings.
With so much food available, more animals live in the canopy than any other layer in the rainforest. The dense vegetation dulls sound, so many—but not all—canopy dwellers are notable for their shrill or frequent vocalizing.
In the Amazon rainforest, canopy fruit is snatched up in the large beaks of screech ing scarlet macaw s and keel-billed toucan s, and picked by barking spider and howler monkeys. The silent two-toed sloth chews on the leaves, shoots, and fruit in the canopy. Thousands and thousands of insect species can also be found in the canopy, from bees to beetles, borers to butterflies.
Located several meters below the canopy, the understory is an even darker, stiller, and more humid environment.
Plants here, such as palms and philodendron s, are much shorter and have larger leaves than plants that dominate the canopy. Understory plants often produce flowers that are large and easy to see, such as Heliconia , native to the Americas and the South Pacific. Others have a strong smell, such as orchids. The fruit and seeds of many understory shrub s in temperate rainforests are edible.
The temperate rainforests of North America, for example, bloom with berries. Animals call the understory home for a variety of reasons. Many take advantage of the dimly lit environment for camouflage. The spots on a jaguar found in the rainforests of Central and South America may be mistaken for leaves or flecks of sunlight, for instance.
The green mamba, one of the deadliest snakes in the world, blends in with foliage as it slither s up branches in the Congo rainforest. Many bats, birds, and insects prefer the open airspace the understory offers. Amphibians, such as dazzlingly colored tree frogs, thrive in the humidity because it keeps their skin moist. Gorillas, a critically endangered species of primate , are crucial for seed dispersal. Gorillas are herbivore s that move throughout the dark, dense rainforest as well as more sun-dappled swamp s and jungle s.
Their droppings disperse seeds in these sunny areas where new trees and shrubs can take root. In this way, gorillas are keystone species in many African rainforest ecosystems.
The forest floor is the darkest of all rainforest layers, making it extremely difficult for plants to grow. Leaves that fall to the forest floor decay quickly. Decomposer s, such as termites, slugs, scorpions, worms, and fungi, thrive on the forest floor. Organic matter falls from trees and plants, and these organisms break down the decaying material into nutrient s.
The shallow roots of rainforest trees absorb these nutrients, and dozens of predator s consume the decomposers! Animals such as wild pigs, armadillos, and anteaters forage in the decomposing brush for these tasty insects, roots and tuber s of the South American rainforest. Even larger predators, including leopards, skulk in the darkness to surprise their prey.
Smaller rodents, such as rats and lowland pacas a type of striped rodent indigenous to Central and South America , hide from predators beneath the shallow roots of trees that dominate the canopy and emergent layer. Rivers that run through some tropical rainforests create unusual freshwater habitats on the forest floor. The Amazon River, for instance, is home to the boto, or pink river dolphin, one of the few freshwater dolphin species in the world. Tropical rainforest s are mainly located between the latitude s of Such humid air produces extreme and frequent rainfall, ranging between centimeters inches per year.
Tropical rainforests are the most biologically diverse terrestrial ecosystems in the world. It is home to around 40, plant species, nearly 1, bird species, 3, types of fish, species of mammals, and 2. Red-bellied piranhas and pink river dolphins swim its waters. Jewel-toned parrots squawk and fly through its trees. Poison dart frogs warn off predators with their bright colors.
Millions of mushrooms and other fungi decompose dead and dying plant material, recycling nutrients to the soil and organisms in the understory. The Amazon rainforest is truly an ecological kaleidoscope , full of colorful sights and sounds.
Temperate rainforest s are located in the mid-latitudes, where temperatures are much more mild than the tropics. Temperate rainforests are found mostly in coast al, mountainous areas.
These geographic conditions help create areas of high rainfall. They are also much less sunny and rainy, receiving anywhere between centimeters inches of rain per year. Rainfall in these forests is produced by warm, moist air coming in from the coast and being trapped by nearby mountains.
Temperate rainforests are not as biologically diverse as tropical rainforests. They are, however, home to an incredible amount of biological productivity, storing up to metric tons of leaves, wood, and other organic matter per hectare metric tons per acre.
Cooler temperatures and a more stable climate slow down decomposition, allowing more material to accumulate. The old-growth forest s of the Pacific Northwest, for example, produce three times the biomass living or once-living material of tropical rainforests. This productivity allows many plant species to grow for incredibly long periods of time. Temperate rainforest trees such as the coast redwood in the U. The animals of the temperate rainforest are mostly made up of large mammals and small birds, insects, and reptiles.
These species vary widely between rainforests in different world regions. Bobcats, mountain lions, and black bears are major predators in the rainforests of the Pacific Northwest. Rainforests have been home to thriving, complex communities for thousands of years.
For instance, unique rainforest ecosystems have influenced the diet of cultures from Africa to the Pacific Northwest. The Mbuti, a community indigenous to the Ituri rainforest in Central Africa, have traditionally been hunter-gatherers. Their diet consists of plants and animals from every layer of the rainforest. From the forest floor, the Mbuti hunt fish and crabs from the Ituri River a tributary of the Congo , as well as gather berries from low-lying shrubs.
The giant forest hog, a species of wild boar, is also frequently targeted by Mbuti hunters, although this species is hunted for sale more often than food. From the understory, the Mbuti may gather honey from bee hives, or hunt monkeys. From the canopy and emergent layers, Mbuti hunters may set nets or traps for birds. Although they are a historically nomadic society, agriculture has become a way of life for many Mbuti communities today as they trade and barter with neighboring agricultural groups such as the Bantu for crops such as manioc, nuts, rice, and plantains.
The Chimbu people live in the highland rainforest on the island of New Guinea. The Chimbu practice subsistence agriculture through shifting cultivation. This means they have gardens on arable land that has been cleared of vegetation. A portion of the plot may be left fallow for months or years. The plots are never abandoned and are passed on within the family.
Crops harvest ed in Chimbu garden plots include sweet potatoes, bananas, and beans. The Chimbu also maintain livestock , particularly pigs. In addition to their own diet, pigs are valuable economic commodities for trade and sale.
The temperate rainforest of the northwest coast of North America is the home of the Tlingit. The Tlingit enjoy a diverse diet, relying on both marine and freshwater species, as well as game from inland forests.
Due to bountiful Pacific inlets, rivers, and streams, the traditional Tlingit diet consists of a wide variety of aquatic life: crab, shrimp, clams, oysters, seals, and fish such as herring, halibut, and, crucially, salmon. Kelps and other seaweed s can be harvested and eaten in soups or dried. In more inland areas, historic Tlingit hunters may have targeted deer, elk, rabbit, and mountain goats.
View our Cookie Policy. I accept. Tropical rainforests have more kinds of trees than any other forests in the world. The richest in plant species are Amazon forests, but in general all tropical forests have an incredible variety of trees. WWF is committed to conserving the world's rainforests, not only because of the incredible wealth of plants and animals, but for the benefit of the indigenous peoples who call these forests their home.
WWF has been working to save rainforests for more than 35 years. Assisting tropical countries to save their rainforests - through creating protected areas, exploring ways to use forests wisely and promoting purchasing of responsible forest products - is a priority for WWF.
Toggle navigation. Language English. Tropical rainforests. Tropical forests are some of the richest, most exciting areas on earth. They are home to gigantic trees, colourful birds and a huge variety of fascinating mammals.
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