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Tropical Rainforests, Thin, smooth, branchless trunks - Reach the 30m high…
Tropical Rainforests
Climate
Constant temperature all year round (26-28 degrees celsius)
High temperatures heats moist air, causing it to condense into heavy rainfall
Annual rainfall reaches 2,000mm (2m)
Ideal for growing trees, as trees demand this water, allowing them to photosynthesise all year round (Evergreen)
Dense and humid
Low sunlight intensity on ground level
No seasons
Adaptation/Features
1/10 of the world's species can be found in the Amazon Rainforest
High levels of biodiversity (Over 2,000 ant species in the Amazon)
Thin, poor quality soils (Most soil infertile due to heavy rainfall)
5 layers - Forest floor, Shrub layer, Under Canopy, Main canopy and Emergents
Buttress roots - Roots grow above ground in order to support growth of tree to large heights (30-40m)
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Drip - tip leaves and waxy coating - Allows rainfall to run off so the leaf doesn't break of rot due to heavy rainfall
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Lianas - Uses trees to grow around and flowers on their branches, allows them to absorb nutrients
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Location
TRFs lie between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn
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23.5 degrees celsius either side of the equator
Brazil, Mainland Africa, Madagascar, South east Asia, Scattered islands, India, Australia and the Pacific Islands
Deforesatation
Causes
Subsistence farming - Growing crops to feed your family, to subsist or survive, sometimes extra crops to sell to earn income
Commercial farming - Cattle farming, soy farming (Feed for cattle), Brazil made £5.5 billion from trading cattle and is the largest exporter of beef in the world
Logging - NOT FOR PAPER, for construction especially as rainforest trees are hardwood and perfect for bulding/furniture (Mahogany and Teak)
Road building - Trans Amazon Highway, to open the rainforest for development (Getting big trucks in and out), Brazil needed a huge main road that runs the length of the Amazon 4000km (Or Land End to John O Groats 3 times)
Mining - Open mining (Use of dynamite), minerals under the rainforest are valuable like iron, bauxite (Aluminum), In Peru one mine alone employs 3000 people, these mining companies and employees pay taxes which are used to provide public services like hospitals and schools
Energy devlopment - Hydro-electric power, 48 dams on the Amazon river already and further 150 planned to provide cheap and carbon dioxide free electricity to businesses and people
Settlement - For workers and their families from miners to loggers to farmers, New villages and towns are being created as land is deforested and is being given to people to stop them from moving to crowded cities like Rio de Janeiro
Impacts
Negative - Climate change - Loss of carbon sink (Increase in tropical storms, droughts, ice melting, etc), Soil erosion (Soil no longer able to support life), Loss of biodiversity (Possible extinction of species + organisms that may prove useful in medicines, products, etc), Indigenous people forced to move
Positive - Wealth and job oportunities (Miners, loggers, cattle-ranching, etc), Taxes = Public services (Schools, hospitals, roads, etc), Materials (Teak wood, palm oil, iron, etc)
Thin, smooth, branchless trunks - Reach the 30m high canopy to not waste energy growing branches, as only 3% of sunlight reaches the forest floor, smooth bark to help rain runoff (Prevents rotting)
link to www.google.com
link to www.google.com
link to www.google.com
link to www.google.com
link to www.google.com
link to www.google.com
link to www.google.com
link to www.google.com
link to www.google.com