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Marius S

Importance of the Rainforest - 0 views

www.enchantedlearning.com/...rainforest

5LWh Importance of Rainforest

shared by Marius S on 14 Sep 09 - Cached
  • What is a Rainforest?
  • Rainforests are extremely important in the ecology of the Earth. The plants of the rainforest generate much of the Earth's oxygen. These plants are also very important to people in other ways; many are used in new drugs that fight disease and illness.
    • Luke Whitehouse
      Luke Whitehouse on 14 Sep 09
       
      What is a rainforest - overview - could be good for an intro
    • Marius S
      Marius S on 16 Sep 09
       
      Q1
  • ropical rainforests are found in a belt around the equator of the Earth. There are tropical rainforests across South America, Central America, Africa, Southeast Asia and Australia (and nearby islands).
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • It is almost always raining in a rainforest. Rainforests get over 80 inches (2 m) of rain each year. This is about 1 1/2 inches (3.8 cm) of rain each week. The rain is more evenly distributed throughout the year in a tropical rainforest (even though there is a little seasonality).
    • Luke Whitehouse
      Luke Whitehouse on 14 Sep 09
       
      Weather conditions and climate.
  • The range of temperature in a tropical rainforest is usually between 75° F and 80° F (24-27° C).
  • Once damaged, the soil of a tropical rainforest takes many years to recover.
  • Tropical rainforests cover about 7% of the Earth's surface and are VERY important to the Earth's ecosystem. The rainforests recycle and clean water. Tropical rainforest trees and plants also remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in their roots, stems, leaves, and branches. Rainforests affect the greenhouse effect, which traps heat inside the Earth's atmosphere. Some of the foods that were originally from rainforests around the world include cashew nuts, Brazil nuts, Macadamia nuts, bananas, plantains, pineapple, cucumber, cocoa (chocolate), coffee, tea, avocados, papaya, guava, mango, cassava (a starchy root), tapioca, yams, sweet potato, okra, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, mace, ginger, cayenne pepper, cloves, oranges, grapefruit, lemons, limes, passion fruit, peanuts, rice, sugar cane, and coconuts (mostly from coastal areas).
    • Luke Whitehouse
      Luke Whitehouse on 14 Sep 09
       
      Importance of the rainforests
  • The soil of a tropical rainforest is only about 3-4 inches (7.8-10 cm) thick and is ancient.
  • EMERGENTS: Giant trees that are much higher than the average canopy height. It houses many birds and insects. CANOPY: The upper parts of the trees. This leafy environment is full of life in a tropical rainforest and includes: insects, birds, reptiles, mammals, and more. UNDERSTORY: A dark, cool environment under the leaves but over the ground. FOREST FLOOR: Teeming with animal life, especially insects. The largest animals in the rainforest generally live here.
  • Luke Whitehouse on 14 Sep 09
     
    What rainforests are, where they are found.
Yen Yu C

The Ocean Biome - 0 views

www.windows.ucar.edu/...marine_ecology.html

shared by Yen Yu C on 09 Sep 09 - Cached
  • The ocean is not the same everywhere.  There are many different ecosystems within the ocean depending on conditions such as the water temperature, the amount of sunlight that filters through the water, and the amount of nutrients.
    • Yen Yu C
      Yen Yu C on 09 Sep 09
       
      i think this is quite true -surface areas area warm but deep down it is all warm dark and scary
jack parker

Rainforest Destruction - 0 views

www.savetherainforest.org/savetherainforest_006.htm

rainforest destruction tourism G5_help

shared by jack parker on 16 Sep 09 - Cached
  • The immediate causes of rainforest destruction are clear. The main causes of total clearance are agriculture and in drier areas, fuelwood collection. The main cause of forest degradation is logging. Mining, industrial development and large dams also have a serious impact. Tourism is becoming a larger threat to the forests.
    • Gurupranav G
      Gurupranav G on 25 Sep 09
       
      A little useful for my Q4
    • jack parker
      jack parker on 04 May 10
       
      useful for my exibition
    • Shaian R
      Shaian R on 16 Sep 09
       
      How can we save the rainforest from destrution
  • The creation of national parks has undoubtedly helped to protect rainforests. Yet, as national parks are open to the public, tourism is damaging some of these areas. Often, national parks are advertised to tourists before adequate management plans have been developed and implemented. Inadequate funding is allocated for preservation of forests by government departments. Governments see tourism as an easy way to make money, and therefore tourism is encouraged whilst strict management strategies are given far less government support. Ecotourism, or environmentally friendly tourism, should educate the tourists to be environmentally aware. It should also be of low impact to its environment. Unfortunately, many companies and resorts who advertise themselves as eco-tourist establishments are in fact exploiting the environment for profit. In Cape Tribulation, Australia, for example, the rainforest is being threatened by excessive tourism. Clearing for roads and pollution of waterways are two of the major problems in this area. The Wet Tropics Management Authority which oversees the surrounding World Heritage Area is promoting tourism to the area before any management plans have been formulated, before any effective waste management strategy has been devised and before any ecofriendly power alternatives have been fully explored.
    • Gurupranav G
      Gurupranav G on 25 Sep 09
       
      Possibly useful for my Q4
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • The immediate causes of rainforest destruction are clear. The main causes of total clearance are agriculture and in drier areas, fuelwood collection. The main cause of forest degradation is logging. Mining, industrial development and large dams also have a serious impact. Tourism is becoming a larger threat to the forests.
  • 5 Large Dams In India and South America, hundreds of thousands of hectares of forests have been destroyed by the building of hydro-electric dams. It was the dominant view that new dams had to be built or otherwise these countries would suffer an energy crisis. However, a recent study by the World Bank in Brazil has shown that 'sufficient generating capacity already exists to satisfy the expected rise in demand for power over the medium term, provided that the energy is used more efficiently' (WRM). The construction of dams not only destroys the forest but often uproots tens of thousands of people, destroying both their land and their culture. The rates of waterborne diseases increase rapidly. Downstream ecosystems are damaged by dams which trap silt, holding back valuable nutrients. Reduced silt leads to coastal erosion. The sheer weight of water in dams has in Chile, Zimbabwe, and Greece led to earthquakes. The irrigation and industrial projects powered by dams lead to further environmental damage. Irrigation leads to salination of soils and industry leads to pollution. Solutions: Aid organisations like the World Bank have traditionally favoured spectacular large-scale irrigation and hydro-electric projects. In all cases when such projects are proposed, there has been massive opposition from local people. Reform of the World Bank and other such organisations, and support for campaigns against large-scale dams is needed.
Jean Luc L

Fast Facts - 0 views

www.globio.org/...fast_facts.aspx

5RTo biomes fast facts

shared by Jean Luc L on 07 Sep 09 - Cached
  • Tropical Rainforest Fast Facts Print Fast Facts Description Tropical rainforests are a type of wet, warm, humid forest. Tropical rainforests have the greatest biodiversity of any other ecosystem on earth. Some scientists believe they house more than half of all living species on earth. 90% of the species found in the tropical rainforest live in the canopy, high above the ground. Location Tropical rainforests are located in the tropics, the area around the warm equator. They are found in areas of Africa, Asia, Australia, and South and Central America. Climate The climate of tropical rainforests is warm and humid with almost continual rain. Most rainforests receive 200-1000 cm of rain a year and have temperatures that rarely drop below 22° C. Issues Tropical rainforests are quickly disappearing as a result of logging and clearing for timber, livestock grazing, plantations, and the harvest of other natural resources. 31 million hectares of tropical rainforest are destroyed each year.  That is an area larger than Poland. Status All tropical rainforests are in great danger of being destroyed. They once covered 14% of the earth’s land surface but now only cover 6%. Some scientists believe that, at the current rate of destruction, the remaining forests could be destroyed in less than 40 years. The state of tropical rainforests should be a priority for all countries and cultures since they provide and regulate the majority of the earth’s clean air and water. ©GLOBIO.org
Ajay V

How can we save rainforests? - 0 views

kids.mongabay.com/...601.html

5RTo

shared by Ajay V on 07 Sep 09 - Cached
  • Rainforests are disappearing very quickly. The good news is that there are a lot of people who want to save rainforests. The bad news is saving rainforests is not going to be easy. It will take the efforts of many people working together in order to ensure rainforests and their wildlife will survive for your children to appreciate and enjoy.
    • Ajay V
      Ajay V on 23 Sep 09
       
      A good introduction to how rainforests are getting destroyed
  • Teach others about the importance of the environment and how they can help save rainforests. Restore damaged ecosystems by planting trees on land where forests have been cut down. Encourage people to live in a way that doesn't hurt the environment Establish parks to protect rainforests and wildlife Support companies that operate in ways that minimize damage to the environment
    • Ajay V
      Ajay V on 23 Sep 09
       
      A variety of types to help save rainforests
  • ...1 more annotation...
    • Paul I
      Paul I on 23 Sep 09
       
      reason immanq3
Morgan V

Rainforests in Central and South America - 0 views

kids.mongabay.com/...central_south_america.html

5lwh

shared by Morgan V on 16 Sep 09 - Cached
  • The Amazon is the world's largest and most famous rainforest. The Amazon River Basin is roughly the size of the forty-eight contiguous United States (the United States not including Alaska and Hawaii) and includes parts of eight South American countries: Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, and Suriname. The basin is drained by the Amazon River, the world's largest river (and the second longest river after the Nile). The Amazon is home to more species of plants and animals than any other ecosystem on the planet and perhaps 30% of the world's species are found there. Some of the better known animals found in the Amazon include the jaguar, tapir, and many kinds of monkeys.
  • Morgan V on 16 Sep 09
     
    amazon rain forest
Kavya D

Forest People Today - 0 views

rainforests.mongabay.com/0705.htm

deshpandeQ3&Q4

shared by Kavya D on 22 Sep 09 - Cached
Paul I and Xavier M liked it
  • Tropical rainforests have supported humans since ancient times. Although forest life cannot be described as easy, these peoples have built their lives around the surrounding forest and its systems. Consequently, they are a great storehouse of the knowledge about the forest. They know the medicinal properties of plants and understand the value of the forest as an intact ecosystem. As forests fall, these indigenous peoples lose their homes and culture. Conflicts with settlers, who also bring disease and domestic animals, has resulted in the decline of the native population in many areas.
    • Kavya D
      Kavya D on 23 Sep 09
       
      This is good information about the modern impact on indegenous rainforest people.
Zina S

Rainforest Canopy-Animals - 0 views

rainforests.mongabay.com/0407.htm

5LWh rainforest animals

shared by Zina S on 14 Sep 09 - Cached
  • The incredible diversity of food sources and unique niches of the canopy trees support a wide variety of animal species. Animals often congregate around a flowering tree, which makes trees in this stage some of the best sites for viewing wildlife. In places like these, where food is abundant, animals set up territories, but since canopy leaf cover affects visual territorial displays, most animals rely on sound signals. Thus some of the loudest animals of the world are canopy dwellers. Many primates emit howls and screams, while birds use song to let other animals know that they are intruding on their space.
    • Thomas C
      Thomas C on 14 Sep 09
       
      Good pharograph. Could be useful.
  • From birth, the orangutan undergoes variations in facial structure during the course of its lifetime: at birth its face is bare, juveniles are bearded, and adult males have skin pouches on their cheeks. Orangutans build sleeping nests, 16-80 feet (5-25 m) off the ground, each night and never return to an earlier nest.
  • From birth, the orangutan undergoes variations in facial structure during the course of its lifetime: at birth its face is bare, juveniles are bearded, and adult males have skin pouches on their cheeks. Orangutans build sleeping nests, 16-80 feet (5-25 m) off the ground, each night and never return to an earlier nest.
    • Satvik S
      Satvik S on 14 Sep 09
       
      this is about animals specially orangutans
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • Two-toed sloths or "unau" inhabit forest areas from Nicaragua to Bolivia and northern Brazil. Both species are
    • Satvik S
      Satvik S on 14 Sep 09
       
      this is good information about sloths
  • Three-toed sloths range from Honduras to Argentina and are known locally by natives as "Ai" for their shrill call
    • Satvik S
      Satvik S on 14 Sep 09
       
      this is good information about sloths habitats
  • The sloth's fur is an entire ecosystem of its own: one study found more than 950 beetles on a single sloth, living off the algae growing in its fur.
  • Orangutans occupy the mid-strata of the forest canopy where they feed on leaves, fruits, and young shoots, and occasionally may take a bird egg or two. Orangutans are not social animals, but solitary creatures that do not form lasting pairs.
  • Three-toed sloths feed almost exclusively on cecropia leaves,
  • Satvik S on 14 Sep 09
     
    Three-toed sloths range from Honduras to Argentina and are known locally by natives as "Ai" for their shrill call. Two-toed sloths or "unau" inhabit forest areas from Nicaragua to Bolivia and northern Brazil. Both species are
Kengo M

HowStuffWorks "How Rainforests Work" - 0 views

science.howstuffworks.com/...rainforest5.htm

5lwh

shared by Kengo M on 09 Sep 09 - Cached
  • The World's Lungs? In the past, scientists often referred to tropical rainforests as the "lungs of the world" because of the large amount of oxygen they produce. More recent evidence shows that rainforests don't have much of an effect on the world's oxygen supply. The decomposition of dead plant matter consumes roughly the same amount of oxygen that the living plants produce. But rainforests do play a key role in the global ecosystem. Some experts are now calling them the "air conditioners to the world," because their dark depths absorb heat from the sun. Without the forest cover, these regions would reflect more heat into the atmosphere, warming the rest of the world. Losing the rainforests may also have a profound effect on global wind and rainfall patterns, potentially causing droughts throughout the United States and other areas
    • Kengo M
      Kengo M on 09 Sep 09
       
      sO THE RAINFOREST IS THE EARTHS LUNGS.
  • Kengo M on 09 Sep 09
     
    SO the rainforest makes oxygen
  • Audrey C on 14 Sep 09
     
    Good website for anything, mostly about extinction rate.
Avinash X

Rainforest Canopy-Introduction - 0 views

rainforests.mongabay.com/0401.htm

5lwh canopy rainforest layers

shared by Avinash X on 14 Sep 09 - Cached
  • The billions of leaves of the canopy, acting as miniature solar panels, provide the source of power for the forest by converting sunlight to energy through photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process by which plants convert atmospheric carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and simple sugars. Since the rate of photosynthesis of canopy trees is so high, these plants have a higher yield of fruits, seeds, flowers, and leaves which attract and support a wide diversity of animal life. Besides attracting a broad array of wildlife, the canopy plays an important role in regulating regional and global climate because it is the principal site of the interchange of heat, water vapor, and atmospheric gases. In addition to collecting solar energy and regulating the climate, the canopy shields the understory from harsh and intense sunlight, drying winds, and heavy rainfall, and retains the moisture of the forest below. Thus the forest interior is a far less volatile environment than the upper parts of the canopy ceiling. The interior region is protected from the extremes of the canopy: temperature fluctuations, damaging solar radiation, and strong winds. Light levels are diffuse and subdued, the humidity is higher and more constant, and there is very little direct sunlight in the lower canopy.
    • Avinash X
      Avinash X on 14 Sep 09
       
      leaves and their role in the ecosystem
  • The overstory is characterized by scattered emergent trees that tower above the rest of the canopy, the tops of some species exceeding 210 feet (65 m). Below the overstory trees, the canopy stretches for vast distances, seemingly unbroken when observed from an airplane. However, despite overlapping tree branches, canopy trees rarely interlock or even touch. Instead they are separated from one another by a few feet. Why the branches of these trees do not touch is still a mystery, but it is thought that it might serve as protection from infestations from tree-eating caterpillars and tree diseases like leaf blight. To survive, canopy dwellers must have the ability to negotiate these gaps by climbing, leaping, gliding, or flying.
    • Avinash X
      Avinash X on 14 Sep 09
       
      overstory
  • Avinash X on 14 Sep 09
     
    All about the canopy
Yen Yu C

WikiAnswers - Do humans need animals to survive - 0 views

wiki.answers.com/...humans_need_animals_to_survive

Q1

shared by Yen Yu C on 23 Sep 09 - Cached
  • The whole of the ecosystem is balanced on plants, animals and the environment as a whole... Be it temerature by region or vegitation or insects.... If you remove just one component, the rest collapse...
    • Yen Yu C
      Yen Yu C on 23 Sep 09
       
      i think it is true becuase living creatures depends on veggetaiton and by loosing one the other collapes and than the other agian............
Jean Luc L

Degrowth - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - 0 views

en.wikipedia.org/Degrowth

wikipedia degrowth environment G5_help 5RTo

shared by Jean Luc L on 30 Apr 10 - Cached
  • Ecological footprint Main article: Ecological footprint The ecological footprint is a measure of human demand on the Earth's ecosystems. It compares human demand with planet Earth's ecological capacity to regenerate. It represents the amount of biologically productive land and sea area needed to regenerate the resources a human population consumes and to absorb and render harmless the corresponding waste. According to a 2005 Global Footprint Network report,[7] while inhabitants of high-income countries live off of 6.4 global hectares (gHa), while those from low-income countries live off of a single gHa. For example, while each inhabitant of Bangladesh lives off of what they produce from 0.56 gHa, a North American requires 12.5 gHa. Each inhabitant of North America uses 22.3 times as much land as a Bangladeshi. Of the 12.5 hectares used by the North American, 5.5 is located in the United States, and the rest is found in foreign countries.[7] According to the same report, the average number of global hectares per person was 2.1, while current consumption levels have reached 2.7 hectares per person. In order for the world's population to attain the living standards typical of European countries, the resources of between three and eight planet Earths would be required. In order for world economic equality to be achieved with the current available resources, rich countries would have to reduce their standard of living through degrowth. The eventual reduction of all available resources would lead to a forced reduction in consumption. Controlled reduction of consumption would reduce the trauma of this change.
  • Degrowth and Sustainable Development Degrowth thought is in opposition to all forms of productivist economics. It is, thus, also opposed to sustainable development. While the concern for sustainability does not contradict degrowth, sustainable development is rooted in mainstream development ideas that aim to increase capitalist growth and consumption. Degrowth therefore sees sustainable development as an oxymoron[8], as any development based on growth in a finite and environmentally stressed world is seen as inherently unsustainable. Since current levels of consumption exceed the Earth's ability to regenerate these resources, economic growth will lead to their exhaustion. Those in favor of sustainable development argue that continued economic growth is possible if consumption of energy and resources is reduced. Furthermore, growth-based development has been shown to be more effective in expanding social inequality, concentrating wealth in the hands of a few, than in actually generating more wealth and increasing living standards[9][10]. Critics of degrowth argue that a slowing of economic growth would result in increased unemployment and increase poverty. Many who understand the devastating environmental consequences of growth still advocate for economic growth in the South, even if not in the North. But, a slowing of economic growth would fail to deliver the benefits of degrowth—self-sufficiency, material responsibility—and would indeed lead to decreased employment. Rather, degrowth proponents advocate for a complete abandonment of the current (growth) economic system, suggesting that relocalizating and abandoning the global economy in the Global South would allow people of the South to become more self-sufficient and would end the overconsumption and exploitation of Southern resources by the North
jack parker

Biofuels Deemed a Greenhouse Threat - New York Times - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...08wbiofuels.html

biofuels

shared by jack parker on 04 May 10 - Cached
  • These studies for the first time take a detailed, comprehensive look at the emissions effects of the huge amount of natural land that is being converted to cropland globally to support biofuels development. The destruction of natural ecosystems — whether rain forest in the tropics or grasslands in South America — not only releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere when they are burned and plowed, but also deprives the planet of natural sponges to absorb carbon emissions. Cropland also absorbs far less carbon than the rain forests or even scrubland that it replaces.
  • jack parker on 04 May 10
     
    bio fuels
Shaian R

Rainforest Deforestation - 0 views

kanat.jsc.vsc.edu/...mainpage.htm

5LWh

shared by Shaian R on 05 Oct 09 - Cached
  • What Can I Do? As an individual, many people feel that there is little they can do to stop a problem as big as tropical deforestation. This type of pessimist thinking needs to be stopped, replace pessimism with optimism and many solutions will arise! Recycling paper can slow rates of annual deforestation. The largest component of solid waste by weight in the US is paper and paperboard (EPA, 1998). Roughly 40% of municipal solid waste is paper; each year about 71.8 million tons are generated (EPA, 1998). From an environmental or economic standpoint, it makes sense to recycle; not only can money be saved, but also trees. Valuable landfill space is prolonged; for every ton of recycled paper, three cubic yards of landfill are saved (EPA, 1998). Purchase items that carry the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) image (Figure 11). The FSC, founded in 1993, is an international, non-profit association, that issues certificates for well managed forests; economic, social, indigenous, and environmental interests are all taken into account. To be classified as a well managed forest, the forest's ecosystem can not damaged, only low volumes of trees are expelled, and impacts on plant and animal life are limited (Greenpeace, 2001B).
  • Over 2000 tropical plants have been identified as having anti-cancer properties (RIC, 2000B). One of these plants may lead to a breakthrough in the treatment of cancer. Over 25% of the world's modern drug originally came from rainforests (RIC, 2000B). Many contraceptives, stimulants, and tranquilizers commonly used today originated in tropical rainforests. In 1987, a tree compound that was 100% effective against the HIV-1 virus was found in a Malaysian gum tree (Rainforest Alliance, 1999). When research biologists were sent back to get more samples from the tree, it had already been cut down. Unfortunately, no tree found since has produced the same compound (Rainforest Alliance, 1999). If deforestation continues at current rate humankind may lose the cure to two of the world's most fatal diseases.
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