textfiles/reports/ACE/rainfor1.txt

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Grade Level:       Type of Work           Subject/Topic is on:
 [ ]6-8                 [ ]Class Notes    [Essay on the rain forest]
 [ ]9-10                [ ]Cliff Notes    [                        ]
 [x]11-12               [x]Essay/Report   [                        ]
 [ ]College             [ ]Misc           [                        ]

 Dizzed: 07/94  # of Words:2818  School:Public          State:NY
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    Simply stated the word "ecology" means the relationship of living
things to their surrounding and to each other. The rainforest is on of the
biggest and best examples of a flourishing ecosystem. With the almost
unlimited amount of species found within the rainforest something new is
bound to be found every time one is looked at. In this essay I hope to
outline and explain the various species of plants, animals, people and
others that make up the structure of a rainforest. Obviously with species
in these numbers it is literally impossible to explain every detail there
is to know about a rainforest, but hopefully I will have given you a better
understanding in the end.

    A rainforest is a complicated structure which is put together from an
unlimited amount elements that all work together. A hole anywhere in this
system can cause a breakdown that effects the entire structure.

    The bottom of the rainforest is the soil upon which everything must
grow. Wherever rainforests are found, sandy red coloured soil can be found
as well. This soil contains few nutrients, which is why attempting to grow
any sort of crops would be futile. On top of this soil is a thin layer of
humus, which simply said is the compost made from the millions of dead
animals and plants of the forest. When things such as leaves and animals
die their remains are quickly broken down by a limitless amount of tiny
organisms. Some insects that do just this sort of thing include: beetles,
ants, termites and a host of others. With all of this death happening so
quickly you would expect a sort of rotten smell to be in the air. This,
however, is not the case. This is simply because everything that is dead in
the forest is broken down so fast. One example of how true this is would be
to kick a fallen tree. Chances are it would crumble to pieces because
termites had chewed, and knawed there way through it in a matter of hours.

    All living things requires three things in order to survive. They are
food, moisture, and warmth. These things are provided in abundance in the
rainforest. This explains why anything that has been dead for more than an
hour is well on it's way to being broken down. The result of this is a
brown, pleasant smelling compost containing seeds and other remains which
makes up the thin layer of topsoil from which all plants in the forest
grow. This layer is only a few inches deep and as soon as it rains, which
happens often, this thin topsoil is washed away into the nearest river.
This results in a loss of many seeds which have been released from larger
plants. Those not lost in the rain can be eaten by such species as agoutis,
weevils and other animals. All of these things paint a picture of how hard
it is for a seed to germinate and grow into a mature plant.

    The plants of a rainforest take up such an incredible amount of space,
that trying to identify them all would be like to trying to name every
person in Toronto. It just can't be done. Of the approximate THIRTY MILLION
plants, and animals in the world about TWO THIRDS are only able to survive
in the rainforests. When you think of a rainforest, the first thing that
most likely comes to your mind is a green steamy hell that is miles away
from anything that you are used to. However we tend to forget how much of
our daily lives involve the rainforests. Such common items as Mahogany,
coffee, and peanuts all originally made their homes in the jungle. Another
obvious example of this comes in the form of fruits. Tropical fruits are
everywhere. Bananas, Mango's and Avacado's just to name a few, line the
shelves our stores and supermarkets. The jungle does not just provide a
source of food though, it also contributes to something of much greater
importance. The field of medicine owes a lot to the enormous "gene bank"
that the rainforest supplies. Treatments for such things as Leukaemia
(Madagascar Periwinkle), AIDS (Catanospermine) gives new hope to these
terminal diseases.

    Perhaps the most noticeable life form within the forest are the trees
themselves. Most trees in the rainforest are evergreens however some, such
as the wild Kapok are deciduous and will shed their leaves. Many of the
trees and plants found within the forest have adapted to the environment
around them. A good example of this is the leaves of rainforest trees. They
typically have leaves which possess drip dips which are used to channel
falling water to the roots below.

    This ensures that the roots get enough water, and also prevents the
leaves from rotting in such a wet atmosphere. One of the more interesting
plants which has adapted to it's environment is the bromeliad. These plants
begin life as a small shrub growing on the branches of larger trees. They
use these branches as a form of support to reach sunlight at the canopy.
Eventually aerial roots begin to grow and will inevitably reach the ground.
Once this happens many of the roots will cross and enclose the trunk of the
host tree. When you picture this in your mind you may get the impression
that this plant begins to strangle it's host to death. This is not the case
however as it causes no harm.

    When considering the rainforests environment one could assume that
seeds from trees will germinate quickly, where there is sufficient light,
grow quickly, flower, produce seeds, and die in a fairly short period of
time. This is not always the way of the trees within a rainforest though.
Studies in such countries as Malaysia have shown tree ages ranging from
60-500 years old. The oldest tree found in that area comes in at 800 years
old. This evidence shows that plants can live a long life if they occur in
the right environment.

    On the jungle floor finding flowering plants is rare seeing as only
about one to two percent of the light at the top of the canopy reaches the
forest floor. This is why we must look to the life above to find most of
the forest's plant life. Once the path of vision has been directed upwards
towards the canopy, the rainforest takes on a whole new shape. The canopy
of a rainforest is what makes the forest work, for it is here that the
trees can photosynthesise in the sunlight, without which they could not
survive. It is the busiest part of the forest but the importance of the
system below, on the ground cannot be forgotten. The canopy of a rainforest
is packed with birds, insects, animals and other forms of life. This is in
response to the amount of fruit and flowers everywhere. An important thing
to realize about that canopy is that all the tops of the trees do not
combine with each other. The boundary of each tree top stops a short
distance from the leaves of a nearby tree. This natural occurring event is
known as crown shyness and is thought to be a defense against leaf munching
caterpillars. The world of plants within a rainforest is every bit as
fascinating and complicated as the animals around them.

    This brings us to the exiting and abundant world of animals within the
rainforest. Rainforests are beaming with animal life. Almost all of the
animal groups are represented here. The only group which is almost lacking
are the large mammals. One of the most common and active animals found in
the forest are monkeys. There is a whole range of them to be found. With
this range in type also comes a difference in size. Some of the larger ones
are located here, as well as the smallest in the world. The pigmey marmoset
is so small is could easily fit into a coffee mug, with room left over for
sugar and milk. Most of these monkeys make their home, and get their food
high up in the treetops. Here they make use of branches and loose vines as
there way of travel. Often times monkeys will fall the equivalent distance
of a three story building to get where they are going. If they miss a
branch on the way down they will simply grab the next available one. A
close relative of the monkey is the lemur. This creature is best known for
it's ringed tail, and although it also makes its home in the forest, a
greater amount of time is spent on the ground. This makes them a lot easier
to observe, but in contrast makes them an easier target for predators.
Monkeys are not the only forest creatures which live their life high in the
trees, there is also an abundant amount of bird life. While this form of
life is both beautiful and plentiful, most are hard to observe because they
are hidden from the ground. Some species such as the Heron can be seen from
the ground quite easily, because they love water and will flock to it. The
appearance of birds in a particular area is seasonal and is dependant on
the availability of food. A tree that is just coming into bloom will
attract birds from miles around because of the source of food. One of the
more enchanting bird's of the rainforest is the Hummingbird. The general
outlook on these birds is that they are small. This is true in most cases,
however the largest of it's kind the "Giant Hummingbird" is as big as a
sparrow. In comparison the sword billed hummer is one of the smallest
birds, but's it's beak is larger than it's body. Beaks on hummingbirds come
in a variety of shapes and sizes, each one made for the particular bird's
need for obtaining nectar. Although the hummingbirds main source of food is
the nectar from flowers, it can also feed on the many insects of the
forest. Hummingbirds are the only birds with the ability to fly backwards
and when in flight their wings will beat anywhere from fifty to two hundred
times a second. The energy required for this causes the hummingbird to
continuously feed throughout the day. Another bird of the forest that
cannot be forgotten is the Parrot. Their loud calls and tendency to stay in
groups makes them easy to spot. Parrots are most commonly loved for their
brightly coloured plumage (feathers).

    With all of these animals found in the treetops, there are also a
numerous amount on the ground. One of the more riveting animals to be found
on the ground is the tapir. These strange looking beasts resemble giant
pigs and range in colour from brown to black and white. This peculiar
animal was even used in a Sherlock Holmes adventure in " The Giant Rat of
Sumatra " which involved a tapir that went around savagely killing people.
In actual fact tapirs are harmless vegetarians. They do however have
massive teeth that they use to rip apart the leaves that make up their
diet.

    Not all creatures that roam the ground are giant pigs though. Two other
types of animals that find their home on the jungle floor are the
millipede, and the centipede. Both invertebrates average approximately
10-13 cm in length. The two are often mistaken for each other, but are
dramatically different from one another. The millipede is a harmless
vegetarian that feeds on various plant life found on the forest floor. The
centipede on the other hand is vicious carnivore that runs like crazy and
has the ability to inject a poisonous venom into it's prey. The largest of
it's kind, the Giant Centipede can reach lengths of up to thirty
centimetres, and is not an animal that is toyed with.

     From creepy crawlers to cats, the rainforest hosts a variety of wild
jungle cats. The largest of them being the tiger, although not far behind
in size is the jaguar. The jaguar has a tendency to be more aquatic than
the tiger, which is not surprising considering it's habitat in the Amazon
jungle is as much water as it is land.

    Snakes make up another portion of the wild life and are generally a
mistaken species. After learning about them you tend to wonder why so many
people fear this animals with such a passion. Of the world's snakes only
ten percent are venomous, and of these most would prefer to leave you alone
as long as they are not provoked. Snakes are one of the hardest species to
spot in the rainforest as they have the perfect camouflage for the forest,
and thus makes them excellent predators.

    One of the more commonly overlooked aspects of the ecology of a
rainforest is humans. It is typical for people to think that humans have
little or no role in the rainforest. In reality over there are over two
hundred million tribal people in the world, most of which make their homes
in the rainforest. Many of the people around us seem to think that these
people are ignorant, when in fact the opposite is true. "Forest Dwellers"
as they are commonly called are brilliant naturalists, mainly because of
their great knowledge, and use of, the plants and animals within their
environment. The greatest use and perfection of this combination has to be
given the Pygmies. The Pygmies are a West African tribe that are said to
have the greatest ability to use what is around them, from their peers and
others. They seem to have a special knack for this skill, which is often
times attributed to "Magic" and the "Gods". They are, surprisingly the
smallest tribe in physical height in the world. The largest of their people
measures in at a mere five feet tall.

    A common way for hunting in the forest is through the use of poison
tipped arrows, and blow darts. When firing either of these at it's prey a
native will take a considerable amount of time because of the work involved
in creating one. Making a fine quality arrow, or dart complete with poison
can take several hours. The poison is used with the weapon so that the
animal will not merely be injured (allowing it a chance to escape) but
killed. Another popular way to kill prey is through a method called
"noosing" in which a rope resembling a noose will be made from vegetable
fibres. When the victim steps into the noose it is suspended in mid-air
with the noose tied tightly around it's body. The natives do not only rely
on animals as there only source of food though. The many plants of the
forest including fruit are used in their ever day diets. This is done
increasingly when animal game is scare. The people of the forest will use
anywhere from about 80-100 percent of the plant life around then when
needed. They do realize however, that they must conserve the environment
that they live in and will only do this when necessary. These plants that
are found around then will also be used for the various cures, and
treatments needed for the sick around them. Natives are regarded in the
highest respect as botanists because of this amazing ability to use the
plants of the forest for medical purposes. The reasons above clearly show
why the native people of the rainforests play such an important role in the
continuing ecosystem of the rainforest


    In summary it can be said that a Rainforest is an ecosystem with an
abundant amount of differing species that rely on the things around them to
go on living. All of these species in some way or another either directly,
or indirectly influence each other. A hole or damage in this system will
then in turn effect the entire system in one way or another. The rainforest
hosts an almost unlimited amount of species, and within these species
includes over two thirds of the entire plant population. This is so because
these plants can only survive in the conditions provided by a rainforest.
As well as plants the rainforest contains numerous amounts of animal life
ranging from something as small as and harmless as a Hummingbird to
something as large and ferocious as a tiger. Along with all these plant and
animal species comes something that is commonly over looked in the
rainforest, and they are humans. There are over two million tribal people
living in the world and a great deal of them live within the rainforest.
They use the materials found here to supply there food, make their weapons
and cure their sick. All of these things come together to form one of the
most complicated ecosystems of the world, and this form comes in the shape
of the ecology of a rainforest.