Brazilian Rainforest Plants and Climate
The plants, animals, and climate of the Brazilian rainforest make for a fascinating ecosystem. The rainforest is more than just an interesting compilation of flora and fauna, though. It also serves a far greater purpose of local and global significance.
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Geography
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Approximately one-third of the world's rainforest area is located in Brazil, South America. Most of the Amazon rainforest is in Brazil, and most of the Brazilian rainforest is located within the Amazon Basin.
Climate
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The Brazilian rainforest is always warm and humid. The temperatures fluctuate between 72 and 93 degrees Fahrenheit every day all year round. Rainfall amounts vary from 80 to 430 inches per year.
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Plant Types
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Plants found living in the Brazilian rainforest are tropical plants that thrive in warm, humid conditions. They are also considered evergreen types of plants since they do not experience seasonal loss of foliage. Orchids, bromeliads, ferns, bougainvillea, ficus, rattan palms, and philodendrons are some of the many types of plants that grow in the rainforest. An ever larger number of plants growing in the rainforest--the Brazilian pepper tree, for example--are harvested for medicinal purposes.
Effects
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Many of the plants that thrive in the Brazilian rainforest have leaves specially adapted with drip tips to facilitate rain runoff. The big leaves common on many of the plants growing on the forest floor provide more surface area to facilitate photosynthesis.
Some rainforest plants thrive by growing in the branches and branch junctions toward the tops of the trees. Such living conditions provide excellent nutrition from the decomposing leaves and debris that gets trapped in the branch junctions, plenty of moisture that is naturally absorbed by the leaf litter and debris, and sunlight that they would not have access to if they grew on the ground.
Function
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The Brazilian rainforest is an integral factor in weather patterns both locally and, in conjunction with other rainforests located around the world, globally. It is also a great equalizer, providing protection against flooding, drought, and erosion.
Another important benefit of the Brazilian rainforest is attributable to the process of photosynthesis. It works like an enormous air cleaner. All of the plants in the rainforest use the carbon dioxide in the air as a necessary ingredient in the photosynthesis process. The plants produce oxygen as a byproduct of the process--which, of course, is necessary for mammalian life.
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References
- Photo Credit tapir image by Miguel Montero from Fotolia.com
