The Forest Buddies      
Save The Forests, Save Our Lives
   
 
Rainforests  
Vegetation characteristics

Their waxy, drip-tip leaves are characteristic. These leaves point downward to let water that falls on the leaves flow down quickly during a rain. The trees grow tall and straight to obtain as much sunlight as possible. Their branches are spread out as far as possible so that they can obtain as much sunlight as possible for photosynthesis to take place.

Drip-tip leaves
(Photograph taken by the Forest Buddies Team)

An interesting adaptation is the presence of buttress roots. These roots are strong and have wide-bases. This is necessary in view of the need to support their heavy canopies, tall trunk and wide-spreading branches.

Without such roots, the trees will run a risk of toppling over. Moreover, these roots are necessary for the absorption of a lot of water and minerals to support the growth of the trees.
Buttress roots
(Photograph taken by the Forest Buddies Team)
   
The undergrowth is sparse as the canopy prevents sunlight from reaching the ground. Only when parts of the forest are damaged will there be sunlight that supports an unusually dense undergrowth.

You can also find leaf litter and animal matter here. As these decay, the decomposers such as fungi and bacteria can be found abundantly.
The sparse undergrowth
(Photograph taken by the Forest Buddies Team)
 
Sources:
David Herring (October 2000). EO Experiments: Rainforest Biome. Retrieved on 27 December 2007, from NASA. Website: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Laboratory/Biome/biorainforest.html

Buttress root. (2008, March 29). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 14:55, March 30, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Buttress_root&oldid=201884246

Rainforest. (2008, March 28). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:05, March 30, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rainforest&oldid=201585796