THE AMAZING AMAZON: The rainforest

The tree tops in a tropical rainforest fit together almost like puzzle pieces. They can form an unbroken cover called the canopy high above the forest floor. A few giant trees or emergents may rise above the canopy.

Palm trees, vines and epiphytes (air plant) may form a lower level of treetops called the sub-canopy. Underneath this is the understory. Little light reaches the understory. Plants need light to make food. Shrubs, fungi and other small plants compete for light in the understory and on the forest floor.

​Source: World Book Kids, 2017

A rainforest is a woodland with tall trees and plenty of rainfall. Many rainforests grow in tropical areas. Tropical rainforests are usually rainy the year around. They are also quite warm. The warmth and moisture are ideal for plant growth. The trees often grow to great heights. Rainforests are also home to many other kinds of plants.

 There are tropical rainforests in Africa, Australia, Central America, South America, Southern Asia, and the South Pacific islands. A few rainforests are found away from the tropics in cooler temperate regions. These are called temperate rainforests.

The rainforest is a type of ecosystem. An ecosystem is a community of living things that are connected and rely on one another and on their surroundings to meet their needs. Rainforests are some of the richest ecosystems on Earth. No other type of ecosystem supports as many different kinds of living thing.

Many products useful to people come from rainforests. Bananas, chili peppers, mangoes, pineapples, and many kinds of nuts come from rain forests. Cacao is the plant that gives us chocolate. It grows in the rainforest understory. Many medicines are also made from rainforest products. And there are probably many more medicines to be discovered.

Many native people live in the rainforest. They make their living by hunting, fishing, collecting forest products, and farming.

Source: World Book Kids, 2017