Save the Rainforest

The Amazon rainforest is still far from being fully explored, however, the essential features of the rainforest ecosystem are very well known. Here the plants grow continuously without regard to seasons which are what distinguishes the rainforest from other forests in the world.

They talk in the rain forests of different levels of the forest. In fact there are three distinct levels. The roof of the rainforest forms the so-called overhangs; where trees are between 60 and 80 meters tall - twice as high as trees in Europe. These giant trees are often isolated and can be climbed, because of their enormous height by only a few animals.
Under the tops of the giant trees of the region we find the tops of trees of medium height. The forest basement is formed by ground-level vegetation.
Each floor of the rainforest has developed its own well-adapted flora and fauna.

In the roof of the rainforest, way up in the crowns of giant trees, live the monkeys, birds and reptiles. Also countless species of insects find their food and reproduce here. We still know very little about the animals and plants which live in the treetops, or how they are dependent on each other. In order to gather this knowledge, researchers have built research stations high in the trees
Amongst the trees in the rainforest, no one has an easy access. The giant trees form a continuous canopy teeming with diverse flora and fauna. The trees themselves are also representatives of many various species. In comparison to the entire area of Central Europe where there are some 50 different species of trees, in the Amazon rain forest in one hectare alone up to 200 different tree species can be found.

The canopy of the rainforest is interesting not only because of its enormous biodiversity. The foliage of large trees makes a decisive contribution to the regeneration of the Earth's atmosphere.
The leaves with the help of the so-called photosynthesis convert harmful carbon dioxide in the atmosphere into oxygen.
Life amongst the medium-sized trees, is adapted to the shade. The canopy is so dense that even a light rain can drip through only after several minutes. It is in these trees two thirds of all living animals and plants of the tropical rainforest make their homes. Leaves, flowers, seeds and fruits provide a massive reservoir of food for birds, insects and other animals to feed on.
The trees are so closely and tightly knit together that they act like a green blanket. As a result very little light can penetrate through it and here the humidity remains trapped within this green blanket. This makes ground level quite dark, in fact because of the dense vegetation only 1% of natural light falls onto the floor. On the forest floor, very little light penetrates to the plants which live there, those that do are those which love the shade, and live in harmony with mushrooms and ferns. They have evolved and are adapted to the amount of light, humidity, and the food that is available. But because of the lack of sunlight there is hardly any undergrowth.
In the rainforest, because there are no seasons the weather remains constant from January to December. Therefore there is neither extreme heat nor unusual cold.
The plants in the rainforest to grow, prosper and thrive at any time of the year. Most species have their own rhythms: Some flower several times a year, while others go without flowers for many years.
The rain forest is characterized mainly by its diversity. In the same way as there are many more species of trees in a small area of the forest so similarly unlike plant species in Europe you will find many more different species of plants growing on just a few square kilometers. The different trees, like the other plants all grow side by side.
According to estimates by ecologists more than half of all animal and plant species on the earth survive in the tropical rainforest. The vast majority is still barely explored, and its realistic to assume, there are many species that have scientists have yet to discover.
The rainforest feeds on itself, the majority of nutrients (50 to 90%) hover above ground, and never reach the floor. What gets on the ground, is swiftly decomposed by the wind. Therefore the soil cannot save it and it remains infertile.

The soil of the Amazon rain forest is generally quite powdery. In the center of Amazonia, in the middle of the rainforest, is where you find the poorest substrate, which is probably the most barren ground in the world. Geologically, the soil is very old, all nutrients have been removed and the humus layer is very shallow. The rainforest is known therefore as a forest without humus.
The rainforest cannot be restored after deforestation, once it is destroyed, it is irretrievably lost. After a clearing is made in the forest the topsoil erodes very quickly. After about 3 years it is impossible to grow crops on a piece of cleared rainforest land, what remains is barren, ecologically useless land. Yet more and more rainforest disappears – an area of about half the size of France every year.
Previously it was thought, however, the rain forest would provide incredible fertile land. Excessive, luxuriant growth led to this misconception. If dead plants in the rainforest, such as leaves and branches fall to the ground, they decompose in the high temperatures, bacteria, fungi and the humid climate. The nutrients cannot accumulate on the ground and thus cannot form a humus layer of decomposed plants and animal remains. Because the nutrients are not stored in the soil, but in the plant itself, one finds sand and clay only a few inches below the upper soil layer in the rainforest.
Save the rainforest and help save the world.