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Resource Booklet - Figure 1 (Ecosystem (Highest biomass of any ecosystem…
Resource Booklet - Figure 1
Distribution of Rainforest
6% earth's surface
Near equator
High annual rainfall
High humidity
Ecosystem
Hot + moist ideal for plants
Grow quickly
High rates of decay return minerals to soil
Washed away by rain or absorbed quickly by plants, so soil is poor
Vertical structure
Highest biomass of any ecosystem
60% of world's biodiversity
Half of flowering plants
15 million species
In the Amazon - 1 hectare contains
1500 species of fish
2000 species of bird
30,000 species of insect
Complex food web
Climate
Example
Manaos (Brazil)
'hot and wet'
No seasonal temperature differences
High annual rain
High humidity
Structure
Emergents
Up to 30m
Canopy
Reduces light
Protects ground from heavy rain
Understorey
Woody plants and shrubs
Ground layer
Decomposed material
Plants and fungi
Insects
Importance of Rainforests
50 million years of evolution has created huge biodiversity
Each day 10 species are lost
Global carbon sink and climate regulator
Reduces risk of flooding and erosion
Provides food and local products
Fibres
Resin
Dyes
Rubber
Home to 1000+ indigenous tribes that depend on the rainforest
Worlds Medicine Cabinet
Statistics
Reducing by 1-2% each year
120 prescription drugs
25% pharmaceuticals
2/3 of drugs that have cancer fighting properties
Animal
Bat saliva
Helps prevent heart attacks
Leech saliva
Dissolves blood clots
Frogs secretions
Treat infections
Help mental illness
Treats HIV
Plant
Vincristine/Vinblastine
From Rosy Periwinkle
Treat Leukaemia and Hodgkin's disease
Tubocurarine
From Curare Liana plant
Treat Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson's Disease
Cortisone
From Wild Yams
Used in birth control pills
Quinine
From the Cinchona Tree
Treat Malaria
Neostigmine
From the Calabar bean
Treat Malaria
Novocaine
From Coca plant
Used as local anaesthetic