126 lines
8.6 KiB
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126 lines
8.6 KiB
Plaintext
ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßÛßßßßßÛÛÜ ÜÜßßßßÜÜÜÜ ÜÛÜ ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÜÜÜÜÛßß ßÛÛ
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ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÛ ÜÛÛÛÜÛÛÜÜÜ ßÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÛÛÜÜÜÛÛÝ Ûß
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ßßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÞÝ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßßÛÜÞÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßßÛÛÛÞß
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Mo.iMP ÜÛÛÜ ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÝ ßÛß
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ß ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÜÛ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß
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ÜÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÜÜ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÞÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛßß
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ÜÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÛÛÛÛÜÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛ ßÛÛÛÛÛ Ü ÛÝÛÛÛÛÛ Ü
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ÜÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ßÛÜ ßÛÛÛÜÜ ÜÜÛÛÛß ÞÛ ÞÛÛÛÝ ÜÜÛÛ
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ÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÜ ßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÜÜÜß ÛÛÛÛÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÛÛÛÛÛß
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ßÛÜ ÜÛÛÛß ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßßÜÜ ßßÜÛÛßß ßÛÛÜ ßßßÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßß
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ßßßßß ßßÛÛß ßßßßß ßßßßßßßßßßßßß
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ARRoGANT CoURiERS WiTH ESSaYS
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Grade Level: Type of Work Subject/Topic is on:
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[ ]6-8 [ ]Class Notes [Essay on the Ecology ]
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[x]9-10 [ ]Cliff Notes [of Rainforests ]
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[ ]11-12 [x]Essay/Report [ ]
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[ ]College [ ]Misc [ ]
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Dizzed: 07/94 # of Words:1266 School: ? State: ?
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ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>Chop Here>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
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The Ecology of a Rain Forest
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In 1980, the estimated amount of rain forests in the world was 40,000
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square miles. This number decreases each year by roughly 1,000 square
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miles due to construction and the resources being used for profit. It is
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too bad, because the rain forest is one of the most beautiful places on
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earth. It is the most diverse, containing the most species of living
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things, much more than anywhere else, and most have yet to be identified.
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All rain forests are located on earth's "green belt", that is, the area
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roughly around the equator that covers all the area from Mexico and the
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northern area of South America, to Africa, to India, streching out to
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Indonesia, the northern tip of Australia and all the way to New Guinea.
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This area is heavily covered with flora and fauna, and it abounds with
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life. In a rain forest, it is very wet and it rains every day or every
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other day very heavily. There is a high and steady level of heat and
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moisture. There are some general layers to the rain forest. It starts 135
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feet up in the air, with the lofty crowns of the tallest trees in the
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jungle. They take the most light, heat, rain and the most punishment from
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the winds. Woodpeckers hunt insects in this layer, and also the black and
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white Colobus monkey can be found here, ready to lauch into the air, using
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his specially developed tail as a rudder to guide his flight. Beneath this
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is the second layer of trees, whose crowns form a forest canopy. Rain
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filters through this canopy, and the top sides of the crowns hold a large
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amount of ferns and other small plants whose roots never touch soil. They
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live off the water and nutrients held in the small pockets of the leaves
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and branches. Tree frogs and chimpanzees live here, burrowing holes to
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live in the vast vegetation. The third layer is called the "understory".
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This grows beneath the canopy. The gorilla makes this his regular hangout,
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also pythons lie here waiting for prey. The dim forest floor teems with
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life. Termites and ants feed on all the decomposing matter on the ground,
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and elephants make their way down a path of moss. Butterflies move
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silently by, and the air is still and very humid. These are the layers
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that make up the rain forest's complex ecology. In the rest of the essay I
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will describe some of the life forms found in the rain forest, and ways
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they affect the environment. In the rain forest, plants develop poisonous
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alkaloids to protect against insects, and insects develop complex digestive
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chemistry to overcome these poisons. Some of these plant alkaloids give
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native indians great poisons for darts, and to cancer researchers hope for
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a new medicine. The rain forest root systems are so efficient that almost
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all of the nutrients in decaying plants are recycled into new ones. Most
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roots are found within three inches of the surface in heavy clay or at the
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surface in sandy soils. Tiny rootlets grow up and attach themsleves to
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leaves. When the leaf decays, miniscule fungi on the rootlets take over
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and send threadlike projections into the leaf which absorbs all of the
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leaf's nutrient material. The phosphorous that the fungi produces is taken
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by the root, and in turn gives the fungus sugars from the tree. Also,
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termites and ants break down the forest litter. In a small lake in the
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middle of the rain forest, a small lizard skims across the water away from
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danagerous prey and attacks its own victim by suprise, yet another marvel
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of the tropical rain forest. Mutualism occurs in the jungle with a
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specialized ant and a swollen-thorn acacia. The acacia provides budlike
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leaflet tips which are called Beltian bodies, which the ants give to their
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young for food. The insects hollow out the tree's thorns when soft and
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green and raise their young inside. The acacia doesn't have chemical
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defenses to repel dangerous and damaging insects and demands pure sunlight
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for proper growth. The ants patrol the tree day and night. If any insect
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lands on the tree, they bite it with a poisonous sting. They also attack
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plants that grow onto the tree, such as a vine. In this case, they would
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attack the vine at it's base and pull it off the tree. There are also
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small leaf-cutting ants in the jungle that cut a portion of a leaf, bring
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it to their home, and chew it to a pulp and inject a body fluid to create a
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wet mulch. On this mulch grows the only food of this particular ant -- a
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fungus that has only one species. The mysterious part about this is that
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any spores that could develop on the mulch and contaminate it don't
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develop. Paper wasps in the rain forest have to bail out their home after
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a heavy shower. They lap up a mouthful of water from the colony, and then
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spit it out onto the forest floor. They also coat the small stalk that
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attaches the nest to the branch of a tree with a sticky black sectretion
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that repels some ants. But there are still some predators, such as jungle
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katydids which eat the leaves, and some species of ants that are not
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repelled by the black secretion. In one rain forest, there is a kind of
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toad that is voiceless. So for the male to attract a mate, nature gave it
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a very noticeable characteristic -- a flourescent orange color, which is
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unmistakable. The females are blackish green with scarlet spots on them.
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In April and May, mating takes place. Where pools are formed on the forest
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floor by water trickling down trees, females lay around 200 eggs. After
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the males fertilize them, the embryos live in their aquatic world for about
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two weeks, then after that they hatch and mature. This species was
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discovered in 1964 and it helped win government protection for Monteverde,
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which is the place where these frogs can be found. Biologist Jay M.
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Savage, amazed by the frogs, once wrote "I must confess. . .my. .
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.disbelief and suspicion that someone had dipped the examples in enamel
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paint." There are other species of frogs, such as the green leaf frog,
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whose green body and glowing red eyes is an incredible sight. They extrude
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and fertilize their eggs on a leaf over water. Young that are ready to
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leave their embryo drop into the water below. Also the poison-arrow frog
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is an interesting variety. The males battle for dominance and mates. Two
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can struggle for hours until one give up and croaks "uncle". Their color
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warns predators of their composition which could prove toxic for snakes and
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other such beasties. The Dendrobates Granuliferus frog doesn't have young
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that develop in water. Instead, the tadpoles cling to the mother's wet
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back. She transports them this way from place to place, usually depositing
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them in a cup of rainwater in a high branch safe from predators. She
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immerses herself in the water at first until the young let go of her body
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and swim into the water. A rare bird found only in rain forests, the
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quetzal, is a beautiful sight. They have long colorful tails which have
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long been worn by royalty of the Colombian Indians, who called the birds
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sacred. It is beautiful animals like these that might start spur nations
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into preserving more of their rain forests, in hopes of keeping one of the
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most complex and interesting ecologies on earth.
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