The Rain Forest
The destruction of the rainforest is a problem that the people of the
world can not continue to ignore. 14 percent of the Earth's land used to be
covered by rainforests yet this number has dropped significantly to only about 6
percent (http://www.ran.org/ran/info_center/index.html). Rainforests provide
the people of the world with many necessities, some of which would no longer be
available if rainforests did not exist. In the last 50 years, rainforests have
declined at a terrifying speed of 150 acres per minute or 75 million acres per
year (http://www.ran.org/ran/info_center/index.html). People must open their
eyes to the horrible tragedy that will inevitably occur if the citizens of ...
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fifteen countries, each containing over ten million hectares. Tropical
rainforests receive 160 to 400 inches of rain each year. Although these dense,
damp forests cover just 5 percent of the Earth's surface, they can provide homes
for between 50 and 90 percent of the Earth's plants and animals
(http://www.davesite.com/rainforests/review1.shtml).
Tropical rainforests consist of three distinct layers referred to as the
forest floor, the understory, and the canopy. The forest floor contains very
poor soil which is mainly due to the trees not allowing for ample sunlight to
reach the ground. Because only one to two percent of the light at the top of
the forest's canopy manages to reach the floor below, photosynthesis ceases to
exist. On top of the soil lies a thin layer of the remains of millions of dead
trees, plants, and animals which are quickly broken down by the numerous number
of organisms on the floor (Nichol 45). It contains a variety of insects as well
as larger ...
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is thought to be the okapi, "a shy, elusive beast from
west Africa (Nichol 56)." Gorillas, apes, the orang-utan of the Far East,
gibbons, and chimps which can grow to the size of a human are also among the
larger animals in the forest. A wide variety of monkeys including the tiniest
monkeys in the world, the pigmy marmoset, live among the trees in the South
American rainforests (Nichol 61).
One of the rarest primates in the world, the golden lion tamarin, lives
in a very small portion of the rainforest in Brazil. These breathtakingly
beautiful little monkeys resemble golden toys and it is believed that only 150
survive in the wild. Without the rainforest, these precious ...
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The Rain Forest. (2008, October 16). Retrieved April 25, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Rain-Forest/91551
"The Rain Forest." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 16 Oct. 2008. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Rain-Forest/91551>
"The Rain Forest." Essayworld.com. October 16, 2008. Accessed April 25, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Rain-Forest/91551.
"The Rain Forest." Essayworld.com. October 16, 2008. Accessed April 25, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Rain-Forest/91551.
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