1.How do the tropical rainforests in humid tropical environments look like?

Biomes are characterized by the much vegetation Rainforest biome has tall trees ranging from 125cm to 660cm Temperature is warm but now HOT Temperature range is 20.6C to 33.9C ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Are found in a tropical belt around the equator Where is a tropical belt?-----Annual temperature and precipitation are high. Cover less of Earths surface than they once did ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6% of the surface of Earth is covered in Rainforests. More than half of all the world's plant and animal species live in the tropical rainforests. The shear biomasses of plants in the rainforest help produce about 40% of Earth's oxygen. Estimates range from 10 to 100 million species on earth, with most of them being insects found in the tropical rain forests. The tropical rainforests have more kinds of trees than any other biome in the world. Scientists counted from 100 to 300 species of tree in 2.5-acre sections of the forest but not all plants in the rainforest are trees though. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Examples: Quinine from the cinchona tree is taken to treat malaria. Rosy Periwinkle from Madagascar is used to treat lymphocytic leukemia.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The look of a typical rainforest-all

Many of the trees have straight trunks that don't branch out for 30.480m more. There is no sense in growing branches below the canopy where there is little light. The majority of the trees have smooth, thin bark because there is no need to protect the them from water loss and freezing temperatures. It also makes it difficult for epiphytes and plant parasites to get a hold on the trunks. The bark of different species is so similar that it is difficult to identify a tree by its bark. Many trees can only be identified by their flowers. There are three largest rain forests--the American, the African, and the Asian--has a different group of animal and plant species. It have many different species of animals and plants

Tropical

Temperate

Describe the differences.

Tropical
Temperatures Number of tree species Types of leaves Age of trees Epiphytes Decomposition rate warm many (hundreds) broadleaf 50-100 years lots of different kinds including orchids and bromeliads rapid

Temperate
cool few (10-20) needles 500-1000 years mostly mosses and ferns slow

2.Adaptations Rainforest Forest Plants

Temperate rain forests receive more than 100 inches of rain every year. So in the rain forest, plants must adapt to the moist environment. The trees grow bark that protects the inner core from cold temperature, while protecting the tree from parasitic fungi. Rain forests grow a startling variety of fungi on trees, rocks and the earth. These take the form of mushrooms, shelf fungi and ball fungi.

Forest Animals

Temperate rain forest animals must spend much of the warm seasons preparing for winter. But because of the high rainfall, the animals must also grow thicker coats that protect them from the moisture. Larger mammals, such as deer, are smaller and have shorter antlers than deer in other biomes. This

adaptation gives them the ability to move freely in the underbrush. Larger carnivores, such as wolves and wildcats, grow thicker pelts in the fall to protect the animals during the cold winter months. Temperate

Forest Plants

The trees grow large leaves to absorb the most possible light during the growing season. The bark of deciduous trees is thicker and heartier than tropical trees to protect the inner core during long, hard winters. Smaller plants, such as flowers and ferns, grow early in the spring with long, quickgrowing leaves. This allows the plant to absorb as much sunlight as possible before the forest trees leaf and block the full strength of the sun.

Forest Animals

Because the temperate biome has four distinct seasons, animals spend much of the growing season preparing for winter. Small animals, such as squirrels and chipmunks, gather nuts and seeds, storing them in hollow logs or holes in the ground. Larger mammals, such bears, woodchucks and raccoons, spend the summer eating as much as possible. The weight they gain during the summer and fall allow these animals to hibernate during the winter when the weather is cold and food is scarce. Many birds migrate away from the temperate biome to warmer climates.