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being the people or animals that originally lived and may continue to live in a particular country or region. : of or having to do with people or animals that originally lived and may continue to live in a particular country or region.... See the full definition

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3 Facts About Deforestation for Kids - Earth.Org Kids

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Read on for some stunning facts about deforestation for kids to know and why we need to protect our forests more than ever.

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TROPICAL RAINFOREST FACTS

Howler Monkey in the Canopy

Introduction
The layer of a tropical rainforest where plants form an umbrella type of overhang that rises high above the ground is called the Canopy Layer. What makes up most of the Canopy Layer is a tangled mix of vegetation including branches, vines and trees of different sizes. When light hits this layer, the tree leaves at the top sometimes get burnt as they rise up as much as 150 feet (45 meters). It is not natural causes as much as humans who are destroying the rainforest, a problem that adults and kids should be very aware of. Among the interesting facts and information below is the answer to why photosynthesis plays an important role in the Canopy Layer.

Click here for a great selection ofAmazon.com books about the tropical rainforests canopy.

Canopy Layer General Facts

The Canopy Layer lies right beneath the Emergent Layer of the tropical rainforest and above both the Understory and Floor layer.

About 80% of the sunlight is absorbed at the Canopy Layer, leaving the below layers with very little sunlight.

Most of the rainfall is captured by the Canopy Layer and very little gets to the plants at the lower levels. The plants at lower levels must survive on the excess rain that trickles off of the trees and drips from the leaves.

Canopy Layer Animal Facts

Food is plentiful at this layer and animals such as squirrel monkeys, bats, snakes, tree frogs and toucans eat the fruit and seeds from the trees.

Many animals take shelter in this layer from predators on the Floor layer as well as from strong winds and rainstorms.

Animals in the Canopy Layer often need to fly, jump, glide and hop to get around between the gaps in the trees.

Because of the compact nature of the leaves and branches of the flora in the Canopy Layer, it makes seeing more than a few feet away very difficult. Songs and high pitched calls help the animals in the Canopy Layer communicate with one another when they cannot see each other.

Canopy Layer Plant Facts

Found abundantly throughout the Canopy Layer, Lianas are thick, climbing vines that attach to trees and grow upwards towards the sunlight. Several types of this flora can be found in the rainforest including philodendron, Strychnos toxifera and rattan palms. Other than providing protection and support to top-heavy trees, these plants are cut and used to make woody items like baskets and wicker furniture.

Colorful vegetation including orchids, mosses, ferns and lichens grow on tree trunks and branches. Many of these are called Epiphytes or air plants, plants that grown on trees for both support and to reach the rainwater.

Photosynthesis, the process of converting sunlight into energy, is abundant in the Canopy Layer thanks to the countless leaves at this level. When carbon dioxide and water are converted into oxygen at a fast pace, the result is plentiful fruits and flowers that attract many species of animals.

Cross-pollination of plant species in the Canopy Layer is common. This results when flying animals such as birds, bats or insects feed on plant nectar from one plant and deliver it to the pistil of another.

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Tropical Rainforest Layer Facts Tropical Rainforest Emergent Layer Facts Tropical Rainforest Canopy Layer Facts Tropical Rainforest Understory Layer Facts Tropical Rainforest Floor Layer Facts

Tropical Rainforest Layer Facts

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Click here for a list of facts about the canopy layer of tropical rainforests. These facts include all the important information you need to know about this layer of the rainforest including what animals and plants can be found there.

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The Amazon Rainforest is the world's largest tropical rainforest. It is located in northern South America. The rainforest covers some 2,300,000 square miles (6,000,000 square kilometers) of land surrounding the Amazon River and its tributaries.

The Amazon Rainforest lies in parts of nine countries: Brazil, Ecuador, Venezuela, Suriname, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Guyana, and French Guiana. However, most of the rainforest is in Brazil, where it makes up about 40 percent of the country's total area. To the north of the rainforest are the Guiana Highlands. The Andes Mountains are to the west, and the Atlantic Ocean is to the east. The Brazilian central plateau borders the Amazon Rainforest to the south. The region gets high rainfall, humidity, and temperatures.

The Amazon Rainforest has the richest and most varied plant and animal life in the world ( see biodiversity). It contains several million species of plants, insects, birds, other animals, and other living things, many of which are still unrecorded by science. The region has a wide variety of trees. They include many species of myrtle, laurel, palm, and acacia, as well as rosewood, Brazil nut, and rubber tree. The mahogany and the Amazonian cedar provide excellent timber. The trees of the Amazon Rainforest support a wide variety of epiphytes (plants living on other plants)-such as orchids, bromeliads, and cacti. The rainforest is also home to many ferns, mosses, and woody ropelike vines called lianas.

The trees in the Amazon Rainforest teem with insects, snakes such as boas and anacondas, tree frogs, and several types of monkeys. Among them are howler monkeys, spider monkeys, woolly monkeys, capuchins, and marmosets. Other major wildlife includes jaguars, manatees, tapirs, red deer, and capybaras and other types of rodents. The Amazon Rainforest is especially rich in birdlife. Among the numerous species are parrots, macaws, parakeets, toucans, caciques, woodpeckers, nightjars, and various waterbirds.

In the 20th century, Brazil's population grew rapidly. People began settling major areas of the Amazon Rainforest. They used slash-and-burn techniques to create grazing pastures and farmland. The size of the Amazon Rainforest shrank dramatically ( see deforestation). The destruction of large sections of the rainforest generated worldwide concern. In the 1990s the Brazilian government began conservation efforts to protect parts of the forest. Various international bodies also joined them. In the early 21st century, Ecuador initiated a plan to preserve the forest within its borders. However, the government later abandoned the project.

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The Amazon Rainforest is the world's largest tropical rainforest. It is located in northern South America. The rainforest covers some 2,300,000 square miles (6,000,000 square...

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Tropical climate is the first of the five major climate groups. In tropical climates, monthly average temperature are 18 °C (64.4 °F) or higher in the coolest month, with hot temperatures all year-round. There are normally only two seasons in tropical climates, a wet (rainy / monsoon) season and a dry season. Sunlight is intense in these climates.

There are three basic types of tropical climates within the tropical climate group:

These are distinguished by the precipitation and the precipitation levels of the driest month in those regions.

Tropical climate vegetation

Tropical climates normally have only two seasons, a wet season and a dry season. Depending on the location of the region, the wet and dry seasons can have varying duration. Annual temperature changes in the tropics are small. Due to the high temperatures and abundant rainfall, much of the plant life grows throughout the year.

High temperature and humidity is the most suitable environment for plants. In many tropical climates, vegetation grows in layers: shrubs under tall trees, bushes under shrubs and grasses under bushes. Tropical plants are rich in resources, including coffee, cocoa and oil palm.

Some types of vegetation are unique to each of the three tropical climates.

Tropical rainforest climate

The Köppen classification identifies tropical rainforest climates as usually having north and south latitudinal ranges of just 5-10 degrees from the equator.

Tropical rainforest climates have high temperatures: the yearly average temperature is normally between 21 °C to 30 °C ( 70 °F to 85 °F ). The precipitation can reach over 100 inches a year. The seasons are evenly distributed throughout the year, and there is almost no drought period here. Regions that contain tropical rainforest climate mainly include the upper Amazon basin of South America, the Northern Zaire (Congo) basin of Africa, and the islands of the East Indies.

The tropical rainforest climate differs from other subtypes of tropical climates as it has more kinds of trees due to its precipitation. The large number of trees contribute back to the humidity of the climate because of the transpiration, which is the process of water evaporated from the surface of living plants to the atmosphere. The warmth and abundant precipitation heavily contributes to the diversity and characteristics of vegetations under the tropical rainforest climate. The vegetations develop a vertical stratification and various growth forms to receive enough sunlight, which is unusual under other types of climate.

Tropical monsoon climate

The Köppen classification tool identifies tropical monsoon climate as having small annual temperature ranges, high temperatures, and plentiful precipitation. This climate also has a short dry season which almost always occurs in the winter. The tropical monsoon climate is often found in the south and southeast Asia region between the latitude of 10 degrees north and the Tropic of Cancer. It can also be found in West Africa and South America. The annual temperature of regions under tropical monsoon climate is also stable.

The tropical monsoon climate has the following main characteristic.

The average annual temperature is around 27.05 °C (80.69 °F) and has an average annual temperature range of about 3.6 °C (2 °F).

The precipitation is heavy in the summer, and a short-drought season occurs in the winter. This climate has an annual total precipitation of on average 3409.2mm, and a 3115.9mm summer precipitation and 293.3mm winter precipitation.

There are three main seasons of tropical monsoon climate: the cool dry season is from fall to late winter, the hot dry season is in the spring and the rainy or monsoon season is near or during the summer months.

The tropical monsoon forest mainly consists of three layered structures. The first layer is the surface layer which is a very dense layer of shrubs and grasses. The second layer is the understory layer with trees about 15 meters tall. The top layer is called the canopy tree layer which has trees from 25 to 40 meters tall.

Tropical wet and dry or forest climate

Tropical savanna climates are mainly located between the 10° and 25° north-south latitudes, and often occur at the outer margins of the tropics.

Typical regions include central Africa, parts of South America, as well as northern and eastern Australia. The temperature range of savanna climate is between 20 °C to 30 °C (68 °F - 86 °F). In summer, the temperature is between 25 °C - 30 °C, while in winter the temperature is between 20 °C - 30 °C, but still stays above an 18 °C mean. The annual precipitation is between 700 to 1000 mm. The driest months are generally in the winter and they have less than 60 mm of rainfall (often much less).

Regions under the savanna climate usually have lands covered with flat grassland vegetation with areas of woodlands. Those grassland covers almost 20% of the Earth's surface. The grassland vegetation types include Rhodes grass, red oats grass, star grass and lemongrass.

In Spanish: Clima tropical para niños