The next layer is the Canopy layer; this layer forms a roof over the remaining two layers. It also produces buttress roots to support it from collapsing. Many animals live here such as the tree frogs, snakes and the toucans.
The third layer is the Under Canopy (under layer). Little sunlight reaches this layer; this is because the plants have to grow larger leaves to reach the sunlight. These leaves grow up to 12 feet wide. There are various types of animals that live here including the jaguars, red-eyed tree frogs and leopards. Also there is a high concentration of insects.
The last layer is the scrub layer. It's very dark down here, as practically no light reaches here. Almost no plants grow in this area, as a result. Since hardly any sun reaches the forest floor things begin to decay quickly. A leaf that might take one year to decompose in a regular climate will disappear in 6 weeks. Giant anteaters live in this layer.
Here is the water cycle of the rainforest. It starts of with convectional rainfall. This rains on the ground the raises as water vapour to form clouds. On the way up some of the rain is intercepted by the trees. The rain on the leaves as we call this drip tip ensures that the rain does not linger but swills over the surface and drains swiftly away. The excess rain that falls on the ground flows on the surface and gets washed away into the rivers. Some water infiltrates into the soil and is taken up by the trees and the roots. The trees lose most of their water through transpiration. Water vapour then diffuses into the atmosphere. The water vapour cool and condenses. This happens over and over again, meaning the cycle
starts again.
The Nutrient cycle is when the trees absorb sunlight, Carbon dioxide and water. This process is called photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is when plats and trees make their own food and energy. The leaves of the trees and plants fall of containing nutrients. This forms leaf litter on the soil. When theses are left for a long time bacteria eventually decomposes theses forming humus. Humus contains nutrients. After this decomposing the nutrients are left behind. Meanwhile the trees and plant absorb these when they need them, they do this through the roots. If this doesn’t happen it could lead to soil infertility. This is repeated over and over again.
What interest groups see a value in the rainforest? Are these local, national or global interests?
The tropical rainforest, in this case the Amazon rainforest has been exploited in many ways, people also wants to explore the rainforest to make or build their own industry within the rainforest. There are many groups who see a big importance in the rainforest here are a few, the loggers see a value because they want the hard wood from the rare trees like the Mohogony for their furniture. The next is the cattle ranchers; they want bigger farms for they’re up coming cattle. Also the miners, they clear the areas for building roads and mines. The settlers come and make their own space, they come to farm and make their own food. The last group of people are the indigenous Indians, they have experience on; slash and burn’ agriculture. They cut down the trees which don’t grow again for up to 50 years and more.
Throughout the tropics, rain forests are being cut down. By different methods and for different reasons, people in tropical regions of the world are cutting down, burning, or otherwise damaging the forests. The process in which a forest is cut down, burned or damaged is called "deforestation."
Global alarm has risen because of the destruction of tropical rain forests. Not only are we losing beautiful areas, but also the losses strike deeper. Deforestation causes the extinction of many species and changes in our global climate. If the world continues at the current rate of deforestation, the world's rain forests will be gone within 100 years--causing unknown effects to the global climate and the elimination of the majority of plant and animal species on the planet.
Deforestation occurs in many ways. The majority of rain forest cut down is cleared for agricultural use such as the grazing of cattle, and the planting of crops. Poor farmers chop down a small area (typically a few acres) and burn the tree trunks, a process called "slash and burn" agriculture. Intensive, or modern, agriculture occurs on a much larger scale, sometimes deforesting several square miles at a time. Large cattle pastures often replace rain forest to raise beef for the world market.
There is such a large amount of global interest in the rainforest, such as the loggers who exploit the rainforest for timber, rubber. This can be very destructive in the neighbourhood, meaning when the loggers knock down the trees they knock down few at the same time, this could cause the homes of poor people to be destroyed. Also this could cause flooding in the rainy season, when it rain the rain could fall straight down on the surface of the forest floor instead of fall on the canopies of the trees. This would cause soil infertility. There is one more reason this could be destructive is that there would be no roots to hold the soil together so there would be no nutrients for the trees.
Global interest is a major concern to the people who live in the Amazon rainforest, this is because people from around the world come just to exploit the rainforest. This would mean that the Brazilian government is pleased, this is because they would make tones of profit, this is because the tourist would buy the goods such as fruits, wood, latex, which is used to form rubber.