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Rainforest

The rainforest - Earth's lungs

 

Agnethe Dalby

The rainforests cover about 6 % of the surface of Earth. They are warm, wet forests with a normal annual rainfall between 1,7 meters - 2 meters. 

Around 40% to 75 % of all species in the world originally derives from the rainforests.

Millions of undiscovered new species of insects, plants and microorganisms are estimated to be living in the rainforests.

 
There are two types of rainforest: 
  • Tropical rainforests are found in a belt around the equator. They are warm and have a huge humidity. The range of temperature is usually between 24 -27 Celsius degree.
    The monsoon plays a vital role in creating the conditions necessary for the tropical rainforests.
     
  • Temperate rainforests are found in temperate regions, north or south of the subtropics. They cover a large part of the globe. Usually they are near the ocean.  

Geography: 

Tropical rainforests: Southeast Asia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, north-eastern Australia; Sri Lanka, sub-Saharan Africa, South America, Central America, and many of the Pacific Islands.
 
Temperate rainforests: North America, in Europe, in East Asia, in South America (southern Chile), in Australia and New Zealand.
 
The rainforests are easy to walk through due to poor penetration of sunlight to the ground level, thus leaving the forrest floor relatively clear of vegetation.
 
If the leaf canopy of the rainforest is destroyed, thus resulting in more sunlight getting through to the ground level, this will soon be vegetated with dense, tangled growths of small trees and vines, this is called jungle.
 

 

Oxygen turnover 

The rainforests are accountable for about 30 % of the worlds oxygen turnover. The rainforest is processing the oxygen through photosynthesis from carbon dioxide and consuming it through respiration.

  

The world largest pharmacy 

More than one quarter of natural medicines originates from the rainforests.

 

 

 

Agnethe Dalby - Earth´s lungs 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Parrots have been subjected to more exploitation than any other bird groups.The trapping of wild parrots for pet trade and hunting has diminished the wild populations.

 

 

 
 
 
  

 

 

Agnethe Dalby