Wild life: Rain forests

Wild life: Rain forests: Rain forests are a type of landscape, just like desserts or grasslands or temperate forests. rain forests produce 28% of the worlds oxyge...

Rain forests

  Rain forests are a type of landscape, just like desserts or grasslands or temperate forests.

rain forests produce 28% of the worlds oxygen. It houses 75% of the discovered species in the world. It has been  estimated that there may be many millions of species of plants, insects and microorganisms still undiscovered in tropical rain forests. Tropical rainforests have been called the "jewels of the Earth" and the "world's largest pharmacy", because over one quarter of natural medicines have been discovered there.

  A tropical rain forest is typically divided into four main layers, each with different plants and animals adapted for life in that particular area: the emergent, canopy, understorey and forest floor layers.

Emergent layer

  The emergent layer contains a small number of very large trees called emergents, which grow above the general canopy, reaching heights of 45–55 m, although on occasion a few species will grow to 70–80 m tall.They need to be able to withstand the hot temperatures and strong winds that occur above the canopy in some areas. Eagles, butterflies, bats and certain monkeys inhabit this layer.

Canopy layer

  The canopy layer contains the majority of the largest trees, typically 30–45 m tall. The densest areas of biodiversity are found in the forest canopy, a more or less continuous cover of foliage formed by adjacent treetops. The canopy, by some estimates, is home to 50 percent of all plant species, suggesting that perhaps half of all life on Earth could be found there. Epiphytic plants attach to trunks and branches, and obtain water and minerals from rain and debris that collects on the supporting plants. The fauna is similar to that found in the emergent layer, but more diverse. A quarter of all insect species are believed to exist in the rainforest canopy. Scientists have long suspected the richness of the canopy as a habitat, but have only recently developed practical methods of exploring it. As long ago as 1917, naturalist William Beebedeclared that "another continent of life remains to be discovered, not upon the Earth, but one to two hundred feet above it, extending over thousands of square miles." True exploration of this habitat only began in the 1980s, when scientists developed methods to reach the canopy, such as firing ropes into the trees using crossbows. Exploration of the canopy is still in its infancy, but other methods include the use ofballoons and airships to float above the highest branches and the building of cranes and walkways planted on the forest floor. The science of accessing tropical forest canopy using airships or similar aerial platforms is called dendronautics. 

Understorey layer

  The understorey layer lies between the canopy and the forest floor. The understorey (or understory) is home to a number of birds, snakes and lizards, as well as predators such asjaguars, boa constrictors and leopards. The leaves are much larger at this level. Insect life is also abundant. Many seedlings that will grow to the canopy level are present in the understorey. Only about 5% of the sunlight shining on the rainforest canopy reaches the understorey. This layer can be called a shrub layer, although the shrub layer may also be considered a separate layer.

Forest floor

Rainforest in the Blue Mountains, Australia

  The forest floor, the bottom-most layer, receives only 2% of the sunlight. Only plants adapted to low light can grow in this region. Away from riverbanks, swamps and clearings, where dense undergrowth is found, the forest floor is relatively clear of vegetation because of the low sunlight penetration. It also contains decaying plant and animal matter, which disappears quickly, because the warm, humid conditions promote rapid decay. Many forms of fungi growing here help decay the animal and plant waste. " composting"

Beavers

  The Canadian beaver also known as the "super beaver" lives in some parts of Alberta and BC.
the beaver is a large help to the wild life of Alberta, they keep the water in bound and keeps the marshlands fresh with new mud.
  The Canadian beaver is known to be the smartest animal engineer of the world.
Unlike most animals, the crocodile and the beaver didn't change much from 63 million years ago. They fairly stayed the same except for the size of the animal, which became far more smaller than what it is now.
  The beavers of north america were almost extinct by the 20th century, but in 1998 a pair of canadian beavers raised in captivity were released in the wild to mate and reproduce.
  By now almost 500 beavers are tagged in the alberta region.