Rainforest
Frank Guzman 7th period
biome description
An area of a rainforest the size of a football field is being destroyed each second.
Giant bamboo plants can grow up to 9 inches a day.
The trees of a tropical rainforest are so densely packed that rain falling on the canopy can take as long as 10 minutes to reach the ground.
In the moist rainforests of South America, sloths move so slowly that algae are able to grow in their fur.
Weather and Climate
precipitation is about 80 to 400 inches of rain Tropical rain forests are a type of tropical climate in which there is no dry season Tropical rainforest climates have no pronounced summer or winter; it is typically hot and wet throughout the year and rainfall is both heavy and frequent.
landforms
biotic factors
ecological concerns and issues
More than half of Earth’s rain forests have already been lost forever to the insatiable human demand for wood and arable land. Rain forests that once grew over 14 percent of the land on Earth now cover only about 6 percent. And if current deforestation rates continue, these critical habitats could disappear from the planet completely within the next hundred years.
The reasons for plundering rain forests are mainly economic. Wealthy nations drive demand for tropical timber, and cash-strapped governments often grant logging concessions at a fraction of the land’s true value. “Homesteader” policies also encourage citizens to clear-cut forests for farms. Sustainable logging and harvesting rather than clear-cutting are among the strategies key to halting rain forest loss.