What's That?!?

During my travels to the rainforest I encountered so many new organisms and a totally new climate. I encountered two different types of rainforests on my travels, temperate and tropical. The tropical rainforests I encountered were very near to the equator and were usually warm, while the temperate rainforests I encountered were close to the coasts and tended to be cooler. Rainforests are part of the wet climate group. I encountered many tropical rainforests while I traveled in South America. Many of the temperate rainforests I encountered were along the West Coast from Oregon to Alaska. Today rainforests only cover about 6-7% of Earth's surface. Half of the planets plant and animal species reside within tropical rainforests. Plants and animals in tropical rainforest have adapted to survive within environments that are hot, humid, and wet. Tropical rainforests have on average 80 inches of rain per year. Many of the plants in rainforests have developed leaves that are water resistant, and have specialized buttress and stilt root systems that allow them to grow in moist, spongy soil. Many of these plants have also adapted to require very little light to survive on the forest floor far beneath layers of trees. A lot of the plants in the rainforest have large leaves in order to capture large amounts of sunlight. There are 4 layers in the rainforest. The emergent layer has big trees spaced far apart and are the tallest trees. The next layer is the upper canopy, followed by the lower canopy and the forest floor which receives little to no light. The air is almost always humid in rainforests. Some plants, like orchids and ferns, are called epiphytes and grow high up in the canopy on other trees where there is more sunlight. There are also many different types of vines in the rainforest. Many of the animals in the rainforests have adapted to living in the trees, like monkeys with prehensile tails and many different types of flying insects. Many of the animals have developed loud calls, bright colors and intense patterns, and diets that consist of lots of fruits that grow in rainforest conditions.