The Amazon Rainforest

By: Ariel W.

Block 3

As I went off the plane I felt everything crackle and extend. It felt so good to be off of the 8 hour flight. My family and I were now in South America in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest!!! The Rainforest looked like a bunch of broccoli from the air, the trees are that thick! There were no problems at all with getting our luggage and going on our way! When we got in a rental car and drove away……..we were amazed. Everything was green and lush and plants were everywhere. My brother said he saw a monkey in the trees but I doubt that... On the way to the place we were staying I read a brochure. “The Amazon Rainforest is a tall, dense jungle that has a lot of rainfall. It covers 6% of the Earth’s surface, but has more than ½ of the world’s plant and animal species. Deforestation is making the Amazon Rainforest smaller. Still, some people are trying to save the rainforest. The Amazon Rainforest is at 5 degrees N-15 degrees longitude-35w-65degreesw. It is in the north, south, and west hemispheres. The Amazon Rainforest is in South America. The Amazon Rainforest covers the countries Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, and French Guiana. The average temperature of the Amazon Rainforest is 77 degrees F. The average rainfall is 250cm per year. ”

When we got to the place where we would be staying people were everywhere, smiling and laughing. We went to the check in desk were there was a lady sitting behind the counter. She gave us our cabin number and a brochure of all the activities we could do while here. We thanked her and went in search of our cabin. It was on the outside ring of cabins, one of the largest. Of course

with 7 people, I guess it should be. There were three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living/kitchen room, and a small utility room. It was late so we went to the cafeteria to eat super and went to bed.

The next morning after, we ate breakfast, we went on a drive in our awesome car. The Rainforest climate is tropical, hot and humid. We looked at our brochure for the directions to the nearby Ticuna Indian village. As we pulled up we saw some toddler Ticuna children running around. We got out and went to the nearby river. There were hand crafted canoes floating everywhere. An older man came up to us and introduced himself. His name is Ray. He will be our tour guide. We all piled into a canoe with a few other people. As we all paddled down the river (he showed us how) he told us about his tribe. The Ticuna are horticulturists, hunters, gathers, traders, and fishermen. The tour guide told us that the Ticuna are considered excellent artisans, the arts are woodworking, cordage making, basketry, and pottery. Women in the Ticuna tribe gather wild fruit, plants, and prepare the food and drink. Men in the Ticuna tribe are in charge of getting fish and game and clearing the forest for cultivation. Building houses is another men’s job. The Ticuna village house has two well defined spaces: the living quarters and the kitchen. The living quarters are subdivided onto three areas. The first area is a raised platform on pillars, which protects the residents from possible flooding and from animals. The second area is defined by the floor of the platform and the cross beams of the roof, here two occupants sleep under mosquito nets. In the third area, the Ticuna place boards over the transverse roof beams where children sometimes sleep and special items are kept. The kitchen can be a prolongation of the house or it can be a small shed. The Ticuna build houses to live in to protect them from weather. The men hunt and fish in the rainforest and there “product” is meat, which the Ticuna eat. Ticuna people are great artisans, and make numerous decorated objects from plants, such as bark, husks and seeds. (Which come from the Amazon Rainforest.) There is also fruit gathered and the Ticuna eat it. The Ticuna’s beliefs were that the world is controlled by spirits and forces that determine the course of events. They also have shamans. Now missions have

gone to them and preached, so most of them are Catholic. There is a ceremony named la pelazon (hair cropping) for girls when they are coming into their adult life. The Ticuna eat fish, fruit, monic, maize, various kinds of bananas and plantains. They trade to get money to buy clothes, school supplies, salt, sugar, ammunition, batteries, petroleum, and kitchen utensils. The Ticuna sell bananas, fish, manioc flour, and fruit. The Amazon Rainforest is a wonderful place to live he told us. . These people are igneous, not nomadic.

People all over the world get food, water, medicines, and much, much more from the rainforest. Some of the products from the Amazon Rainforest are natural rubber, (or latex) Brazil nuts, Guarana, Acai minerals such as iron manganese uranium, bauxite, copper, gypum, lignite, nickel, and gold. Humans affect the environment by deforestation, mining, cattle ranching, conservation, and ecotourism. Deforestation is cutting down trees, which harms the rainforest. Mining is digging up the rainforest, making giant scars in the rainforest. Cattle ranching is harmful because people have to cut down trees to make pastures for the cattle.

After we left the canoe our group of people all went with another tour guide on a hike. Water bottles were plentiful, loud noises were everywhere and everyone was sweating. It was a great trip so far! As we went deeper into the Amazon Rainforest the sounds of animals and nature grew. We were now walking by foot. I learned (from the guide) people from the rainforest by canoes and feet mainly, There are some planes that are flew by jungle pilots. People also get around by truck, boat, and raft. The hike was great and everyone learned new things about the rainforest.

My two favorite plants are the Clavillia, also known as the Mirabilis Jalapa, and the Quassia Amara. They are both producers. These plant survive by using photosynthesis. They also have foliage. The Clavillia is pinkish-purple flower, it is small but there are many of them on one plant. This plant lives in many places, such as the tropics of South America, Latin America, France, and India. The only things

that eat this plant are humans. People use this for killing viruses, bacteria, and fungi. This plant also kills parasites, reduces spasms, increases urination, strong laxative, and aids digestion. My other favorite plant, the Quassia Amara, is a pink flower and looks like a lot of buds, together, even though the flower has bloomed. This flower grows at lower elevations. It is used for digestive and liver system, fever, parasites and parasites, snakebites, stomach problems, gallbladder issues, and other digestive difficulties and for intestinal worms. It is also used for skin related problems for fleas, lice, and skin parasites. Also working as insecticide and found to be particularly effective on aphids feasting on crops. The plant is also used as flavoring and in the production of bitters.

After three and a half hours, we came to another village. As we were walking to the village (me in the lead) I saw bright ahead on the path. I ran to see what it was…and it was a bird! It was a beautiful bird, it had a black beak, dark blue feathers, black claws, and it had some yellow around the eyes and beak. The bird was just laying on the ground but I could tell it was alive because I could see it’s chest rising and falling. “Something’s wrong with this bird” I yelled back to my group. Everyone came running. “What can we do?” I asked the tour guide, Melinda. She was looking panicked, just like everyone else. “Alright, well I am going to get help from the village,” I said, and my sisters said that they would come with me. We ran to the village where people were sitting around talking in the shade. “There is a

hurt bird on the path” I said loudly. After a moment an older woman stepped forward, “I might know a thing or two” she said, “just tell me some more about the situation and I will have get something from my house.” So we told her the problem and she fast jogged to her house. She came back and we went to the bird. The woman gave the bird something and left. While this happened Melinda told us about the bird. This bird does not use camouflage. The bird was a Hyacinth Macaw. This organism lives in the canopy layer in preexisting holes. The Hyacinth Macaw eats hard nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetable matter, eight species of palm (they are messy eaters) and it is an omnivore. An adaption of the Hyacinth Macaw is that it has enough beak pressure to crack coconuts. Toco Toucan eats Hyacinth Macaw babies and their eggs. That is the only thing that eats the Hyacinth Macaw. The bird awoke and stood up and flew away. It was fine now.

We continued our hike and learned more about the

rainforest. There are four layers in the Amazon Rainforest. The highest layer is called the emergent layer, which has the tallest trees and is at the very top of the rainforest. The trees in the emergent layer are hardwood evergreens, 200 feet tall, 16 feet around, broadleaved, and gets lots of sunlight. Eagles, monkeys, bats, and butterflies, all live in the emergent layer. The next level is the canopy layer which is under the emergent layer and above the understory layer. There are smooth, oval leaves that come to a point. Snakes, toucans, and frogs all live in the canopy layer. The next layer is the understory layer, which is under the canopy layer

and above the forest floor. Plants seldom grow to 12 feet, there is little sunlight so big leaves grow in the understory. A lot of insects, jaguars, and red-eyed tree frogs live in the understory. The next layer is the forest floor, which is under the understory. The forest floor is dark, there are almost no plants, and things decay vastly. Giant anteaters live on the forest floor.

She then started to talk about the Yanomami tribe. The Yanomami live in villages of 40-300 people. They hunt, fish, and tend to gardens. The Yanomami believe that nature creates everything, it is sacred, and the natural and spiritual world is a

unified force. The Yanomami village is one large communal dwelling called a Shabono, this disc-shaped structure with an open air central plaza. (Which is an earthly version of their gods abode.) The Yanomami uses a large round structure called a yano or xapono. Each family has a lean-to with

a roof and a back wall. The lean-tos are next to each other to form a circle. The people of the Yanomami tribe use the plants from the Amazon Rainforest for medicines. Some of the Yanomami are horticulturists, as well as hunters and gathers. Everything they hunt and gather is a product of the rainforest. The Yanomami eat sweet potatoes, bananas, and sugar cane. Men hunt and women gather. Trade between villages is good for both villages. One village will have manufactured goods that are badly needed by another village. The village that depends on the goods will give the other village wives in return. Villages go to war often for a number of reasons. Warfare makes up a large part of the Yanomami people’s lives. This tribes culture is still strong today.

She also told us about the jaguar. This predator eats many different things. It’s prey is deer some caiman, frogs, mice, birds, fish, and domestic livestock. It is a carnivore, not a herbivore. The jaguar is short and stubby for hunting in the dense jungle. The

jaguar’s habitat is the understory. The jaguar has no predators. Black nose, black dots covering the body, slender, sometimes black but most of the time dark and light yellow and black and it looks like a huge house cat. After we were done with the hike we went back to our cabin. On the way there I noticed there were pictures in the brochure.

This graph shows climate/geography all over South America.

This map shows the deforeststion area of the Amazon Rainforest and the remaining forest.

We went to the cabin to rest and get something to eat. As I was walking to the cabin I saw a decomposer. A decomposer consumes dead things.

This is one of the best trips ever. The rainforest is great and I learned a lot of new things. Everyone should learn about the rainforest and what it does for our world. It gives us oxygen, plants to make medicines, and is home to countless plants and animals. We need to save the rainforest. We need to save our future. Why kill the something that already brings us so much?

Work Citedhttp://www.srl.caltech.edu/personnel/krubal/rainforest/Edit560s6/www/what.htmlhttp://dictionary.reference.com/Science Textbook http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/endangered_animals/endangeredanimals_1.htmhttp://www.agarman.dial.pipex.com/jaguar.htmhttp://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/animals/birds/macaw.htmhttp://www.paradiseearth.com/Plant%20Articles/Quassia%20amara.htmlhttp://rain-tree.com/clavillia.htm http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E3P-Z4qQHY0/TJpOC9SLQ-I/AAAAAAAAAlM/xMGJbBUImTM/s1600/hyacinth%252Bmacaw%252B01.jpg&imgrefurl=http://birdbreeds.blogspot.com/2010/09/hyacinth-macaw-bird-hyacinthine-or.html&usg=__HTs7rU-xotqkC28Ftsz8vY89CVQ=&h=450&w=338&sz=30&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=1cfX9hUBkYGHsM:&tbnh=168&tbnw=129&ei=RD-LTZHRMJC5tgfYt7ncDQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dthe%2Bhyacinth%2Bmacaw%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1003%26bih%3D463%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=783&oei=RD-LTZHRMJC5tgfYt7ncDQ&page=1&ndsp=10&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:0&tx=49&ty=20 http://www.animalwebguide.com/Jaguar.htm http://alabamaplants.com/Pinkopp/Mirabilis_jalapa_flower.jpg http://www.homeopathyandmore.com/med_images/QUASSIA_AMARA.jpg http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/amazon/http://www.sterlingschools.org/shs/stf/cjones/3rdHour/Tropical%20Rainforest/TropicalRainforesthtm.htm http://www.micktravels.com/peru/transportation.htmlhttp://christiananswers.net/kids/rainforest/transportation.html http://www.crystalinks.com/yanomami.html http://www.everyculture.com/South-America/Ticuna.html http://www.animalport.com/rainforest-animals/list/Golden-Lion-Tamarin.htmlhttp://news.mongabay.com/2008/0313-hance_macaws.htmlhttp://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/rainforest.htmhttp://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://cafeinspirado.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/fruit_tree.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.cafeinspirado.com/&usg=__V-YeT1tOj7tdH0AzWwzJcnHVJu0=&h=450&w=600&sz=103&hl=en&start=17&zoom=1&tbnid=iV68UfB_47UnxM:&tbnh=136&tbnw=185&ei=gCibTavgBJCcsQO2_qGGBA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dfruit%2Bon%2Ba%2Btree%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26biw%3D1003%26bih%3D463%26gbv%3D2%26tbm%3Disch&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=472&oei=TiibTej7Jc_SgQeMwf2pBw&page=3&ndsp=10&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:17&tx=87&ty=108http://lkthayer.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/fruit-tree1.jpghttp://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/00/13/2a/51/apples-on-the-tree-in.jpghttp://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.singingtotheplants.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/shabono1-300x194.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.singingtotheplants.com/2009/08/love-story/&usg=__X73_yQCFhgqK76msLM34DUE8sbg=&h=194&w=300&sz=35&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=

mozjreM5LvK16M:&tbnh=147&tbnw=195&ei=ZvKeTYKnE8KCgAf1iPHKDw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dshabono%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26biw%3D1020%26bih%3D463%26gbv%3D2%26tbm%3Disch&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=119&oei=ZvKeTYKnE8KCgAf1iPHKDw&page=1&ndsp=8&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0&tx=62&ty=75http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.elproximoviaje.com/wp-content/uploads/ticuna_7-e1300406678437.jpg&imgrefurl=http://apps.facebook.com/blognetworks/blog/el_pr%25C3%25B3ximo_viaje/&usg=__3xDIRCgJcsEFWZ2RLBI29Mo21pw=&h=327&w=500&sz=75&hl=en&start=56&zoom=1&tbnid=2wKAgxqllh3WOM:&tbnh=110&tbnw=168&ei=kvSeTfm0K-uI0QHW4vT7BA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dticuna%2Bperson%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26biw%3D1020%26bih%3D463%26gbv%3D2%26tbm%3Disch&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=204&oei=Y_SeTfynJ9OI0QGSovibBQ&page=7&ndsp=9&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:56&tx=45&ty=70http://www.all-creatures.org/hope/gw/Amazon_rainforest_layers.jpg