Rainforest Vegetation

Rainforests are mainly situated around the equator where an average of 50 to 260 inches (125 to 660 cm.) of yearly rain fall is noticed. More than half of all the world's plant and animal species are found in tropical rainforetsts. In fact, a tropical rain forest has more types of trees than any other area in the world.

Plants in the Rainforests

• The trees in the rainforest have smooth and thin barks as they don't need to protect the tree from water loss or freezing temperatures.
• Most of the trees develop straight trunks and don't branch out for 100 feet or more, as they know that there is no sense in growing branches below the canopy where there is little light!
• Rainforest vegetation consists of carnivorous plants which trap insects, small animals and flies in the cavities filled with sweet or terrible smelling nectar.
• Four main vegetation layers are seen in the rainforests, namely the emergent, upper canopy, understory and forest floor.
• Trees towering about 200 feet above the forest floor are the emergents or the tallest trees which have huge trunks that measure up to 16 feet around. The leaves of these trees are broad and evergreen as they receive plenty of sunlight up there.
• Canopy layer of the rainforest is the primary layer of the rainforest that naturally forms a roof over the two remaining layers. The trees in this layer grow up to 130 feet. The leaves of the canopy trees are smooth, waxy and oval with 'drip tips' to let the rain drain off quickly. The canopy layer is like a maze of leaves and branches that provides abundant food to animals.
• The third layer is the understory layer, where little sunshine reaches. The plants in this layer have larger thick leaves as they have to struggle to reach the sunlight. The plants in this area hardly grow above 12 feet. This layer consists of the trunks of canopy trees, shrubs, plants and small trees. There is a large concentration of insects and animals here.
• It's very dark down on the forest floor. Almost no plants can grow on the forest floor due to lack of sunlight. Here things decay quickly. A leaf that takes otherwise one year to decompose will disappear in 6 weeks here.
• All layers of rainforest are connected by vines and ferns and mosses which grow on the trees. The 10-12 meter high buttresses of the trees, increasing the surface area of the trees or prop or stilt roots giving extra support to the trees, thin barks, large pointed leaves are all examples of rainforest vegetation adaptations.
• About ¼ of all the medicines used around the world come from rainforest plants. For instance, Quinine from cinchona tree, Curare from a tropical vine. According to the U.S. National Cancer Institute, there are 3000 plants that are active against cancer cells and almost 70% of these plants are found in the rainforest. 25% of the active ingredients in today's drugs which are manufactured for fighting cancer, come from organisms found only in the rainforest. For example, Vincristine, extracted from the rainforest plant, 'periwinkle' has dramatically increased the survival rate for acute childhood leukemia.
• Rainforests which once covered 14% of the earth's land, now cover only 6% of the earth's surface. Experts think that the last remaining rainforests could be consumed in less than 40 years. The driving forces of destruction of rainforests are increasing demand for wood for fuel, furniture, building construction, paper industry, etc. Also, more and more land is required for farming and grazing animals.

Because of our careless attitude, there are a number of plants and animals which are on the verge of extinction. Strict action needs to be taken by the governments to reverse the decline of species of plants and animals. With the disappearance of the rainforest vegetation, we are going to be deprived of the awesome stuff that helps us live happily and comfortably on this planet, for example, wood, medicines, fruits, rubber, bamboo, spices, sugar, chocolates, etc. It's our duty to preserve the plants and threes as they play an important role in our life and also in the life of the birds and animals dwelling in the forests.