Rainforests

22 Pages 5577 Words

ex ecosystems on earth.

The nearly perfect conditions for life also help contribute to the great number
of species. With temperatures constant at about 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit the
whole year, the animals don’t have to worry about freezing during the cold
winters or finding hot shade in the summers. They rarely have to search for
water, as rain falls almost every day in tropical rainforests.

Some rainforest species have populations that number in the millions. Other
species consist of only a few dozen individuals. Living in limited areas, most
of these species are found nowhere else on earth. For example, the maues
marmoset, a species of monkey, wasn’t discovered until recently. It’s entire
tiny population lives within a few square miles in the Amazon rainforest. This
species of monkey is so small that it could fit into a persons hand!

In a rainforest, it is difficult to see many things other than the millions of
insects creeping and crawling around in every layer of the forest. Scientists
estimate that there are more than 50 million different species of invertebrates
living in rainforests. A biologist researching the rainforest found 50
different of ants on a single tree in Peru! A few hours of poking around in a
rainforest would produce several insects unknown to science.

The constant search for food , water, sunlight and space is a 24-hour pushing
and shoving match. With this fierce competition, it is amazing that that so
many species of animals can all live together. But this is actually the cause
of the huge number of the different species.

The main secret lies in the ability of many animals to adapt to eating a
specific plant or animal, which few other species are able to eat. An example
of such adaptations would be the big beaks of the toucans and parrots. Their
beaks give them a great advantage over other birds with smaller beaks. The
fruits and nuts from many trees have ...