Tropical rainforests! Flashcards
(23 cards)
What is a tropical rainforest?
A tropical rainforest is a lush, warm, and moist forest characterized by consistently high temperatures and very high annual rainfall, typically exceeding 200 cm (80 inches).
Where do tropical rainforests grow?
The tropical rainforests grow in the equatorial climate.
What do tropical rainforests provide?
They provide the most luxuriant vegetation found on earth.
What are the trees like in a tropical rainforest?
One third of the worldβs trees grow here. There are over 1,000 different types, including hardwoods such as mahogany, greenheart and rosewood.
What are hardwoods?
Hardwood is wood from angiosperm trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests
What does the vegetation in tropical rainforests have to do?
The vegetation has had to adapt to the climate.
What does adapt mean?
By adapt we mean that it has had to learn to live with the constant high temperatures and the heavy rainfall
What are the five layers of vegetation in an equatorial rainforest?
Emergent layer, canopy, under canopy, shrub layer, forest floor.
What is the emergent layer?
The top layer where the tallest trees (over 40m) rise above the canopy to reach sunlight.
What is the canopy layer?
A dense, continuous layer of trees at about 30β40m that blocks sunlight and absorbs most rainfall.
What is the under canopy layer?
A layer of smaller, younger trees and shade-tolerant plants beneath the canopy, around 10β20m.
What is the shrub layer?
A low layer of short shrubs and small plants that survive in low light conditions.
What is the forest floor?
The lowest layer; dark, damp, and covered with decaying matter β little sunlight reaches here.
How tall can the trees grow, and why?
The trees can grow to over 40 metres in the effort to get sunlight.
Why does the forest have an evergreen appearance?
The forest has an evergreen appearance due to the continuous growing season. This means that trees can shed leaves at any time, but always look green and in leaf.
What is the purpose of drip tips?
The leaves have drip tips to shed the heavy rainfall.
Why are rainforest tree trunks straight and branchless in lower parts?
Tree trunks are straight and branchless in their lower parts in their efforts to grow tall.
What are lianas and what do they do?
Lianas, which are vine-like plants, use large trees as a support to climb up to the canopy.
Why is the forest floor dark and damp?
The forest floor is dark and damp. There is little sunlight because the sunlight cannot reach ground level.
Where does dense undergrowth develop?
Dense undergrowth develops near rivers or in forest clearings where sunlight can penetrate.
What happens to rivers in the rainforest each year?
Rivers flood for several months each year.
What happens to fallen leaves in the rainforest?
Fallen leaves soon rot in the hot, wet climate.
What are buttress roots and their purpose?
Large buttress roots stand above the ground to give support to the trees.
