The Ecology Of A Rain Forest
In 1980, the estimated amount of rain forests in the world was 40,000
square miles. This number decreases each year by roughly 1,000 square
miles due to construction and the resources being used for profit. It is
too bad, because the rain forest is one of the most beautiful places on
earth. It is the most diverse, containing the most species of living
things, much more than anywhere else, and most have yet to be identified.
All rain forests are located on earth's "green belt", that is, the area
roughly around the equator that covers all the area from Mexico and the
northern area of South America, to Africa, to India, streching out to
Indonesia, the northern tip of Australia and all the ...
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and also the black and white
Colobus monkey can be found here, ready to lauch into the air, using his
specially developed tail as a rudder to guide his flight. Beneath this is
the second layer of trees, whose crowns form a forest canopy. Rain filters
through this canopy, and the top sides of the crowns hold a large amount of
ferns and other small plants whose roots never touch soil. They live off
the water and nutrients held in the small pockets of the leaves and
branches. Tree frogs and chimpanzees live here, burrowing holes to live in
the vast vegetation. The third layer is called the "understory". This
grows beneath the canopy. The gorilla makes this his regular hangout, also
pythons lie here waiting for prey. The dim forest floor teems with life.
Termites and ants feed on all the decomposing matter on the ground, and
elephants make their way down a path of moss. Butterflies move silently by,
and the air is still and very humid. These are the layers that make up ...
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a specialized
ant and a swollen-thorn acacia. The acacia provides budlike leaflet tips
which are called Beltian bodies, which the ants give to their young for
food. The insects hollow out the tree's thorns when soft and green and
raise their young inside. The acacia doesn't have chemical defenses to
repel dangerous and damaging insects and demands pure sunlight for proper
growth. The ants patrol the tree day and night. If any insect lands on
the tree, they bite it with a poisonous sting. They also attack plants
that grow onto the tree, such as a vine. In this case, they would attack
the vine at it's base and pull it off the tree. There are also small leaf-
cutting ants in the ...
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"The Ecology Of A Rain Forest." Essayworld.com. August 22, 2005. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Ecology-Of-A-Rain-Forest/32082.
"The Ecology Of A Rain Forest." Essayworld.com. August 22, 2005. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Ecology-Of-A-Rain-Forest/32082.
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