Saturday, 23 March 2013

Content.


THE AMAZON
The Amazon rainforest, also known as Amazonia, is one of the world's greatest natural resources. Because its vegetation continuously recycles carbon dioxide into oxygen, it has been described as the "Lungs of our Planet". About 20% of earth's oxygen is produced by the Amazon rainforest.
The Amazon rainforest gets its name from the Amazon River, the life force of the rainforest. The Amazon River begins in the Peruvian Andes, and winds its way east over the northern half of South America. It meets the Atlantic Ocean at Belem, Brazil. The main river is about 4,080 miles long. Its drainage basin covers 2,722,000 million square miles, and lies in the countries of Brazil, Columbia, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, and the three Guyanas. Sixteen percent of all the world's river water flows through the Amazon delta. Twenty eight billion gallons of water flow into the Atlantic every minute, diluting the salinity of the ocean for more than 100 miles offshore. The Amazon rainforest watershed is home to the world's highest level of biodiversity.
Amazonia receives about 9 feet of rain every year. Fifty percent of this returns to the atmosphere through the foliage of trees. Most of the Amazon River's water comes from the annual snowmelt high in the Peruvian Andes. Between June and October, the water level rises by 30 to 45 feet. Tens of millions of acres of rainforest are covered by water as the flood advances, reaching as far inland from the main channel as 12 miles.
Some 15 million years ago, the Amazon River flowed westward into the Pacific Ocean. When the South American plate moved into another tectonic plate, the Andes Mountains slowly rose up and blocked the flow of the river. As the river system backed up, freshwater lakes were formed, and the environment of the Amazon basin changed drastically. Then about 10 million years ago the river found its way eastward towards the Atlantic.
The Amazon rainforest is the drainage basin for the Amazon River and its many tributaries. The northern half of the South American continent is shaped like a shallow dish. About 1,100 tributaries, seventeen of which are over 1,000 miles long, drain into this depression. Whenever rain falls in the river basin, it all drains into Amazon rainforest and into the Amazon River. The Amazon is the largest river system in the world. At some points, the Amazon River is one mile wide, while at other points it can be thirty-five miles wide.
The world's largest tropical rainforest, Amazonia covers more than half of Brazil. The canopy of Amazonia is less studied than the ocean floor. Scientists believe that the canopy may contain half of the world's species. Over 500 mammals, 175 lizards and over 300 other reptiles species, and one third of the world's birds live in Amazonia. It is estimated that about 30 million insect types can be found here. Competition for survival is fierce. This may explain why over millions of years of evolution so many highly adapted species have evolved in the canopy of Amazonia. The most intense competition is between animals and plants. Both plants and animals have made adaptations to defend themselves from being eaten, and to overcome these defensive systems.
Today, more than 20% of the Amazon rainforest has been destroyed and is gone forever. The land is being cleared for cattle ranches, mining operations, logging, and subsistence agriculture. Some forests are being burned to make charcoal to power industrial plants. More than half of the world's rainforests have been destroyed by fire and logging in the last 50 years. Over 200,000 acres are burned every day around the world, or over 150 acres every minute. Experts also estimate that 130 species of plants, animals, and insects are lost every day. At the current rate of destruction, it is estimated that the last remaining rainforests could be destroyed in less than 40 years.
Native peoples of the Amazon rainforest have used different plants for centuries as cures and potions for their health and survival. Scientists are now discovering that many of the plants are sources for new drugs for AIDS, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, and Alzheimer's.


PLANTS
Over two-thirds of all fresh water is found in the Amazon River Basin's rivers, streams and tributaries. The Amazon itself is the largest river in the world. These waters are home to several species of aquatic plants that thrive in the rivers.

Red Amazon Sword

Red Amazon sword (Enchiondorus osiros) originates in southern South America in the Amazon River Basin. It is a loosely growing stemmed plant with broad leaves that extend from its base. Red Amazon sword grows to a height of 9 to 20 inches. The youngest leaf on the plant is red or bronze-red, thus, the name. It is a popular plant for fish aquariums and is not eaten by herbivorous fish. Red Amazon sword does best in slightly acidic water.

Brazilian Water Ivy
Brazilian water ivy (Hydrocotyle leucocephala), sometimes referred to as pennywort, has light green long tendrils and circular leaves. As a rooted plant, it grows fast but is easy to trim. It also grows well as a floating plant. Brazilian water ivy grows to a height of 4 to 8 inches and thrives in hard water.

Amazon Sword
Amazon sword (Echinodorous quadriostatus) grows to be 12 to 18 inches in height. The plant thrives in dim lighting, which is consistent with its origin in the Amazon River Basin. Most of the rivers in the Amazon Basin are blackwater rivers, with acidic water that is darkly stained. Amazon sword is a rosette plant with light green leaves.

Stargrass
Stargrass (Heteranthera zosteriflora) is a stemmed plant with bright green leaves. The arrangement of its leaves resembles a star, thus the name. If the plant receives adequate light, it blooms with small blue flowers. Its origin is in South America in the Amazon River Basin, and it can be found in rivers in Northern Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and Southern Brazil. A fast growing plant, stargrass can grow to a height of 20 inches.

Bromeliad - flower
There are over 2,000 bromeliad species in the Amazon rainforest. The most common bromeliad species is the tropical fruit, pineapple. You will find a variety of colors like purple, blue, orange and red in bromeliad plant species. They are found growing all over the rainforest on rocks, in soil and a few grow on other plants and tree trunks. These plants are life-sustaining plants, as their leaves overlap each other and store rainwater.

Orchids
The orchids are known for their beauty and strong fragrance. You will find hundreds of orchid species in the Amazon rainforest. They are known to survive for long without water. They produce hundreds and thousands of seeds that are carried by the wind throughout the Amazon rainforest for propagation.


Water Lily
The water-lily is the largest flower in the world. It can grow up to 6 feet long. Though it is large, it weighs very less. It can float on water in the Amazon lakes and rivers. There are so many water lilies growing together that they form a type of solid floor over the entire lake.


 CLIMATE
Due to environmental degradation, climatic conditions around the earth's forests including the Amazon rainforest climate have started showing changes. The rainforest gets its name from the massive Amazon river that runs through it. The forest of Amazon, known as Amazonia is called the 'lungs of the earth' as it produces 20% of the total oxygen in the world. It is the largest ecosystem on earth
The Amazon rainforest climate is typically a tropical climate, also known as equatorial climate, found aproximately 12 degrees to the North and South of the equator.

There isn't such a thing as summer or winter, or it's not pronounced, the annual temperature range is about 2°C.

In fact, the difference between day and night temperature (2 to 5°C) is greater than the difference between any two seasons.
The Amazon rainforest climate has not a dry season, as it rains almost the whole year. 

The Amazon rainforest climate is changing for the worse though.
It's believed that rainfall has decresed due to large scale deforestation. Fire and drought pose the biggest threat to the Amazon rainforest.


Dry conditions greatly increase the risk of forest fire.

The Amazon rainforest climate concern us all so we better start doing something about it!

As for the rain, the climate is perennially monsoon-like. Due to the large river basin and the tropical heat, the moist air near the ground is heated, causing it to rise. When it reaches the condensation point, it forms rain clouds. This process happens for all the 12 months. This is called convectional rainfall. It rains almost the whole year in the Amazon forest. But, two seasons can be defined for the sake of clarity as the rainy season and the not-so-rainy season.

ANIMALS
The Amazon River is one of the longest rivers in the world, second only to the Nile, and is responsible for about 20 percent of freshwater discharge into the oceans. The Amazon Rainforest is the drainage basin for the Amazon River and is home to the world’s highest biodiversity level. Over one-third of the world’s species can be found in the Amazon Rainforest.

The Amazon River Dolphin, also known as boto or bufeo, is the largest species of freshwater dolphin. Averaging about 6.5 feet in length, it varies in color from shades of bright pink to dull, gray pink. The rays of the sun cause these dolphins to lose their color, so the murky tint of the Amazon River helps it maintain its illustrious hue. The Amazon river dolphin feeds on over 50 different types of fish. One characteristic unique to this dolphin is its neck, which lacks a fused vertebra, allowing for 180-degree rotation.
The Giant Amazon River Turtle is one of the largest freshwater turtles in the world. Compared to other sea turtles, it is a powerful swimmer. Feeding on primarily fallen fruits and seeds, its diet also includes freshwater sponges and insects. An adult female giant Amazon River turtle can weigh up to 200 pounds and is so large that she has few natural predators. Hatchlings, by comparison, are much more susceptible to predators like black vultures. Jaguars and black caimans are the only animals that are large enough to eat a giant Amazon River turtle.

The
piranha is known in Western culture as one of the most feared creatures of the water. Nonetheless, natives of the Amazon forest regularly swim in piranha-infested waters. Piranhas are very small fish with large teeth that are usually a grey or blue color. Although they are omnivores, they hunt in groups called shoals. One characteristic unique to the piranha is that when a tooth is lost or broken, a new one will grow in its place.

Jaguars are strong swimmers and climbers and require large areas of tropical rain forest and stretches of riverbank to survive. Because of their strength, jaguars have no predators other than humans. Jaguars are solitary (live alone) and territorial. They mark their territory with scent. They are very efficient hunters, creeping close to their prey before pouncing. Although they stay mainly on land, they can swim well. They will wade into water to catch fish. Jaguars feed on over 60 different kinds animals. Their diet includes rodents, peccaries, deer, birds, fish, armadillos, turtles, crocodiles, capybaras, deer, and tapirs. In the trees they prey on birds and monkeys, and will feed on turtles and fish in the rivers. They also prey on sheep and cattle, which is why humans kill them. Jaguars rarely attack humans.
One of the most well known birds in the Amazon Rainforest is the toucan. The call of the toucan is said to resemble the croak of a frog, and it can be heard up to half a mile. Although toucans are heard all the time in the Amazon, they are rarely seen because they stay mostly high in the canopy. The diet of the toucan consists mainly of fruits, berries, and seeds. On average, toucans are around sixty centimeters long. After much intense research by many different scientists, the function of the toucan’s large bill is a mystery. Toucans are known to easily adapt to human invaded environments. They are often seen as pets in homes or at tourist attractions.

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