Into the Depths of the Amazon
Flora
Many types of plants exist in the Amazonian Rainforest. There trees such as rubber trees and mahogany trees. There plants like the giant ferns and the kosharishis. There are also edibles like the passion fruit which are used in tropical drinks or to treat headaches.
Coverage of the Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest covers about two million square miles of land in South America.
It covers a vast portion of Brazil and smaller portions of Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia,
Venezuela, Peru, and Guyana.
The Amazonian rainforest can be extremely dense in some areas and very sparse in others.
Not all growth in the Amazon is similar. The rainforest becomes sparse at the river's edge
because not too many plants can survive the constant flow of the rivers. In highly dense
areas are also an abundance of animals, especially insects.
Types of Plants
Because the Amazon is so immense in size, there are numerous species of plants scattered throughout. Many plants that exist in the Amazon are unlike any other plants around the world. Many varieties are common to only certain regions of the Amazon. Most of this is due to the fact that the Amazon has remained largely untouched by humans. The forest is truly the lifeblood of the Amazon. Its houses and provides for all the animals living in it. It was once discovered that a tree in the Peruvian Amazon harbored 43 different species of ants.
The Amazon Rainforest is home to a varieyy of plants from the tall trees to the small
moss. Tall trees are the defining look of the rainforest providing for much beauty and
scenery. These trees can grow to be as tall as 60 feet and as thick as 6 feet in
diameter. Because the Amazon houses a great number of species of trees, there is no
one tree that can be used to stereotype the Amazon. The variety includes rubber trees,
mahogany, purple velvet, and hundreds of others. A huge source of the world's finest
lumber comes from the Amazon. Dozens of plants also live on the trees such vines. Vines
use the trees as support to climb up to the top of the canopy where they can obtain a
source of sunlight.
Numerous ground plants cover the Amazon as well. Ferns are very common to the Amazon
floor. Another common feature of the floor is large leaves. Plants on the ground need
large leaves to obtain energy from sunlight. In the forest, the canopy can sometimes block
out much of the light. Since light is the ultimate source of energy for plants, any light
that falls to the forest floor has to be absorbed or it is lost. Large leaves allow plants
to absorb minute amounts of light. Strewn over logs and other wet places are moss. Moss
are extremely small plants that live in damp, humid places. They need to live here because
only through the water can they reproduce. Water is a medium through which moss sperm and
eggs can meet to form a zygotes.
Effects of the Rainforest
The rainforest's biggest attribute is the huge amount of biodiversity. The rainforest
is house to critters and plants alike. But the rainforest affects much more than the
animals that live within it.
In recent years, important discoveries have been made in the Amazon regarding medicine.
Many botanists and biologists have discovered plants from which certain chemicals can be
derived. These chemicals, in turn, can be used to treat certain illnesses such as
diarrhea, digestive problems and even cancer. Another great contribution of the
rainforest is oxygen. During photosynthesis (converting energy from sunlight into energy
the plant can use such as glucose), plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen.
The Amazon acts as a giant vacuum. It cleanses the air of carbon dioxide, something
our bodies breathe out, and releases oxygen. The Amazon Rainforest accounts for a
substantial amount of the atmosphere's oxygen.