1. Characteristics and Distribution
What are tropical rainforests and mangroves and where are they found?
Characteristics of tropical rainforests and mangroves
Evergreen (the trees will not shed their leaves all at the same time)
Diversity of plant species
Check out the 2 videos on the rainforests and mangrove forest which you have watched in SLS.
19. What do you know about tropical rainforests and mangrove forests?
What are the differences between the 2 types of forest?
Living things found?
Structure?
Location?
Structure
Distinct layers (for tropical rainforests)
Horizontal zonation (for mangroves)
Structure of a rainforest - distinct layers
Watch the video and identify the 3 layers of the rainforest.
Structure of a mangrove - horizontal zonation
Where are the rainforest located?
Areas between 10˚N and 10˚S experiencing equatorial climate with high temperatures and rainfall all year round.
• Amazon Basin (Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana,Suriname, French Guiana)
• Congo Basin (the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo,Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, the Central African Republic)
• Southeast Asia (Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Myanmar)
Explore this map on the location of tropical rainforest - https://moe-edugis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=a6a7d744c9d844e597a00345a3697b62
Click on the layer for rainfall - Do you think there is a relationship between the amount of rainfall and rainforest ?
Where are mangroves located?
Mangroves are largely confined to the coasts between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn as they generally grow under tropical climate conditions.
Mangroves are located in shallow waters near to the coast because low-lying coasts with muddy, waterlogged land are ideal locations for their growth.
More on mangroves which I had visited:
https://mangrovegeog.blogspot.com/?m=1
Explore this map on the location of mangroves in Singapore - https://moe-edugis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=449ca6d7fc0f410aa12152d15fc446d4
What do you observe on the location of the mangroves?
Listen to the sound of the forests all over the world! https://timberfestival.org.uk/soundsoftheforest-soundmap/
Watch this 360 video of the rainforest. Why is the rainforest unique?
This is a 360 video of a tree top walk in Singapore. What are the characteristics of the rainforest that can be seen in the video?
A 360 video of a mangrove in Krabi, Thailand.
Here are some questions to think about as you watch the following video
What did Bear Grylls observe from above?
What did Bear Grylls experience as he moved from the top to the bottom?
What did Bear Grylls experience as he moved from the top to the bottom?
Look at the size of the buttress root which I took with at Fort Canning Park in June 2022. Why do you think that the tree need such a thick root?
Look at the thick buttress roots and the shallow roots which spread near the surface. Characteristics of tropical rainforest. Photos taken at the Singapore Botanic Gardens in June, 2022.
The rainforests is the habitat for many flora and florafauna . It supports the rich biodiversity.
Look at the broad, waxy leaves with drip tips. Why do you think these are characteristic of trees in tropical forests?