The Tropical Rain Forest

We just visited a tropical rain forest in Africa.Tropical Rain Forests are very important places. They only cover about 7% of the world. Though their numbers are small, they contain more than 50% of all the worlds plant and animals species. Rain forests can be known as the "lungs" of the planet. They are known as this because, they give off a great deal of oxygen, and they absorb carbon dioxide. The temperature never falls under 77 degrees Fahrenheit. Anywhere from 2 to 9 meters can fall in a rain forest each year. The rain forest is commonly divided in three layers, the canopy, the understory, and the forest floor. The canopy is the top of the forest this is where vines and plants grow. Also the canopy contains the majority of living things. The understory has shorter trees and ferns along with the animals that live in them. The forest floor, where we walked, had fungi and bacteria that slowly broke down the leaves that fall. After the leaves are broken down they are turned into nutrients that are sucked up by plants and trees to help them flourish. Most of the nutrients made are used up in the canopy, causing the soil to be very poor. The dead plant matter on the forest floor helps support bugs and animals.One thing that I saw on my adventure through the forest was deforestation. Deforestation is being caused by industries like logging, mining, farming, and grazing animals. What is worse is that scientists say that every fifteen minutes a rain forest species goes extinct because of deforestation. Rain forests contain many important resources,some plants in the rain forests can even be used for medicine. These forests are beautiful, lush, and green place. People should not be allowed to destroy them.