Endangered Species in the Amazon Rainforest | Causes & Examples
There are millions of species that live in the Amazon Rainforest. Some of these species are endangered, mainly due to habitat loss. The Giant River Otter is ...
Amazon Rainforest
The <anchor>Amazon Rainforest</anchor> is the largest tropical rainforest and is located in South America. It covers approximately forty percent of Brazil and reaches into other countries. It is the world's largest river basin, covering 2,300,000 square miles (6,000,000 square km). There are millions of unique species of plants and animals found here. Endangered species are also found in the Amazon Rainforest and are becoming more common. It is home to the world's most varied and biodiverse reservoir. Many of the species living in the Amazon Rainforest have yet to even be discovered by science.
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# The Amazon Rainforest Ecosystem \| Overview & Threats

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Devon Denomme, Amanda Robb


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Devon Denomme
Devon has tutored for almost two years. They have a Bachelor's in Air Traffic Management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and minored in Aviation Safety and Homeland Security. They also are AT-CTI certified.

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Amanda Robb
Amanda has taught high school science for over 10 years. She has a Master's Degree in Cellular and Molecular Physiology from Tufts Medical School and a Master's of Teaching from Simmons College. She is also certified in secondary special education, biology, and physics in Massachusetts.

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Learn about the Amazon rainforest ecosystem including the biotic factors in the Amazon rainforest. Explore the types of trees in the Amazon rainforest.


Updated: 11/21/2023


## Table of Contents

- [What is the Amazon Rainforest?](#section---WhatIsTheAmazonRainforest)
- [The Amazon Rainforest Ecosystem](#section---TheAmazonRainforestEcosystem)
- [Biotic Factors in the Amazon Rainforest](#section---BioticFactorsInTheAmazonRainforest)
- [Threats to the Rainforest](#section---ThreatsToTheRainforest)
- [Lesson Summary](#section---LessonSummary)

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Frequently Asked Questions

#### Why are rainforests important ecosystems?

Rainforest ecosystems are vitally important to the Earth because they contain a significant amount of plant and animal life, who function to balance the climate of the planet. Trees absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen into the air. Oxygen is not only needed for humans to survive, but it also limits the amount of carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere, balancing the potential for rising global temperatures.

#### Why is the Amazon a rainforest?

Rainforest ecosystems are located near the Equator, the central latitude of Earth which receives the most contact with the sun. Rainforests function to support a wide, biodiverse range of plant and animal life and provide balance to the Earth's atmosphere, both of which characterize the Amazon region. The Amazon rainforest is named after the Amazon River, the second longest river in the world, that flows through the region. The Amazon rainforest is the largest remaining rainforest on Earth.

#### What is the Amazon Rainforest known for?

The Amazon Rainforest is notable for its wide biodiversity, or variety of plant and animal species, as well as its stable balance of biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) characteristics. Similar to many rainforests, the Amazon enjoys a warm, wet, and tropical climate with over 80 inches of rainfall each year on average. In some regions of the Amazon, nearly 260 inches of rain can fall. The forest also has a dense layering of trees and a complex yet balanced food web to support all life within.

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## Table of Contents

- [What is the Amazon Rainforest?](#section---WhatIsTheAmazonRainforest)
- [The Amazon Rainforest Ecosystem](#section---TheAmazonRainforestEcosystem)
- [Biotic Factors in the Amazon Rainforest](#section---BioticFactorsInTheAmazonRainforest)
- [Threats to the Rainforest](#section---ThreatsToTheRainforest)
- [Lesson Summary](#section---LessonSummary)

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**What is the Amazon Rainforest?**

Rainforests are lush, complex, and diverse ecosystems that have populated the Earth for nearly 70 million years. In fact, rainforests are Earth's oldest biome, despite making up just 6% of Earth's surface. A **biome** is a large geographic area with a specific climate. Rainforests are located around the Equator, or the central latitude of the planet that is most directly impacted by the sun. The Amazon Rainforest is the largest remaining rainforest on Earth and it plays an important role in the planet's biodiversity.

What is the Amazon Rainforest? The **Amazon Rainforest** is a densely populated biome of South America, more specifically a region found in the territories of Brazil (where the forest is most concentrated), Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana, and Suriname, which contains a **biodiverse** variety of plant and animal life over approximately 1.4 billion acres. It contains one in ten species found on Earth and is home to the [Amazon River](https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-amazon-river-basin-geography-climate.html), the second longest river on Earth for which the biome is named. Similar to most rainforests, the Amazon has a wet, warm, and tropical climate and receives over 80 inches of rainfall each year on average.

Rainforest ecosystems such as the Amazon are vitally important to the Earth because they contain a large amount of plant life, meaning that a large amount carbon dioxide is absorbed while oxygen is released. The addition of oxygen into the atmosphere is necessary for humans to breathe, but the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere also helps to stabilize the Earth's climate and temperature. Rainforests further contribute to the Earth's complex water cycle by adding water into the atmosphere, creating clouds that bring water to other locations around the planet and support other life.

Rainforests are lush and densely populated biomes with many plant and animal species. The Amazon Rainforest is the largest remaining rainforest in the world, supporting nearly 80,000 different types of flora and fauna.

![what is the amazon rainforest](/cimages/multimages/16/450_bosquebombus3470678663862240520.jpg)

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**The Amazon Rainforest Ecosystem**

The Amazon rainforest ecosystem is supported through a number of **abiotic** factors, or non-living characteristics such as temperature, humidity, rainfall, and soil type. The average temperature of the Amazon rainforest and similar biomes around the Equator ranges between 65 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit on a daily basis, although the high humidity often makes the region feel much warmer. The humidity also contributes to the incredibly moist climate, making it possible for many plant species to thrive. On average, humidity in the Amazon can range from 77% during the dry season and 88% during the wet season. Rainfall is common in a rainforest biome and it most often occurs every day. In some regions of the Amazon, up to 260 inches of rain can fall per year.

The soil of the Amazon rainforest is generally thin, sandy, and lacking in nutrients because rain does not often penetrate the dense foliage found higher up in the biome. However, the Amazon is able to maintain a vast amount of underbrush and small vegetation as a result of the rapid turnover of organic material, relating to the relatively fast decomposition of plant and animal matter in the moist heat. Decomposing matter provides the soil with many of the nutrients typically obtained through the movement of water in other biomes, allowing the support of many species throughout the forest's trophic levels.

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**Biotic Factors in the Amazon Rainforest**

Rainforests such as the Amazon also contain **biotic** factors, or living characteristics, that create a stable balance with abiotic factors to support life. Biotic factors in the rainforest relate to the layering of trees, where each layer plays a unique role in the biome's function. They also hold significance in relation to the trophic levels of the food web found within the rainforest. The following sections will describe both of these biotic factors in detail and discuss their importance in the rainforest's cycle of life.

### Types of Trees in the Amazon Rainforest

Similar to many rainforest biomes, the Amazon supports a diverse population of plant life, perhaps most notably that of trees. There are between 40 and 100 types of trees in the Amazon rainforest that can be found per every one hectare, with over 1,800 species of higher plant life (trees and larger plants) discovered in total. Trees make up only a small percentage of the 80,000 plant species that call the Amazon home and a few of the most common include the Kapok tree, the Ramon tree, and the Rubber tree. These and many other species can be divided into four layers of the rainforest, which include:

- **Emergent layer**: A layer which contains the tallest trees of the rainforest, towering between 250 and 300 feet tall. Most trees in the emergent layer are broad-leaved, hardwood evergreens that receive the most sunlight out of any vegetation in the rainforest.
- **Canopy**: A layer typically considered the top layer of the rainforest because it is home to the tops of most trees. Trees in the canopy can reach 250 feet tall and prevent most sunlight from reaching the forest floor.
- **Understory**: A layer filled with vines, ferns, small trees, and much of the animal life found in the rainforest.
- **Forest floor**: The lowest layer of the rainforest, which contains decomposing plant and animal matter, especially fallen leaves. A large population of animals, fungi, and bacteria thrive on the forest floor, where in some areas no light is received.

One of the main biotic factors in the Amazon Rainforest is the layering of trees. The four tree layers include the emergent layer, the canopy, the understory, and the forest floor.

![biotic factors in the amazon rainforest](/cimages/multimages/16/450_arvore_mogno_amazonia6418035807578094561.jpg)

### The Trophic Levels

Another [biotic factor](https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-biotic-definition-factors-examples.html) found within all rainforest ecosystems is the food web, which can be more specifically described through trophic levels. A **trophic level** is a layer within the hierarchal ordering of organisms in an ecosystem that describes an organism's position in the food chain. Species are separated into four different trophic levels based on how they obtain energy. The four trophic levels are:

- **Producers**: Organisms that make their own food, such as plants who produce fruit eaten by humans and animals alike. Producers are heavily abundant in the rainforest, creating food sources such as bananas, coconuts, cacao, coffee, and oranges.
- **Primary consumers**: Organisms that exclusively eat producers or the fruits which producers create. Leaf cutter ants are an example of primary consumers, working together to cut leaves apart and carry them back to their colonies for consumption. Amazon manatees are another primary consumer that feed on water lettuce and hyacinth found in the Amazon River.
- **Secondary consumers**: Organisms that eat primary consumers, such as many species of tropical birds. Macaws, toucans, and other aerial species feed on small insects, fruits, and nuts, while toucans may even eat the eggs of other species. The Goliath Bird-eater is a large spider species that eats smaller birds, mice, and other primary consumers after poisoning them with its powerful venom.
- **Tertiary consumers**: Organisms that eat both primary and secondary consumers, meaning they are also typically at the top of the food chain. The jaguar is a top predator in the Amazon rainforest, feeding on [capybara](https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-a-capybara-facts-adaptations-habitat.html), deer, and tapirs on land. The jaguar can also swim well, allowing it to hunt fish, turtles, or even other tertiary consumers,

Many tertiary consumers are often considered **keystone species**, or species which keep the food web balanced. Keystone species reduce the number of other predators in various trophic levels of the food web so that other species may thrive on their own. The primary function of a keystone species at the top of the food web is to keep populations in check, although some keystone species face risk of endangerment from one or more threats to the rainforest.

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**Threats to the Rainforest**

Although rainforests are vitally important to the overall climatic health of the Earth, the Amazon and other rainforest biomes are in danger of becoming lost. Over the past fifty years, the Amazon has lost 17% of its forest coverage and many species face endangerment from human activity. One of the largest threats to the rainforest is the poor planning of infrastructure, such as the construction of roads to previously remote regions. Deforestation used to create roads further exposes areas of dense forest to unsustainable and often illegal practices such as timber harvesting, the construction of unplanned settlements, and agricultural expansion. Furthermore, it can block connected waterways used by aquatic species and limit the habitat of other organisms on land. A more direct impact on organisms within the rainforest is the hunting of animals, or more seriously, illegal poaching. Resource harvesting also interferes with many species' ability to thrive, leading to a decline in populations from exposure to unnatural elements.

The Amazon and many other rainforests face many threats from human intervention, including the cutting of trees. Deforestation limits the available habitat of many organisms and further impacts the global phenomenon of climate change.

![rainforest ecosystem](/cimages/multimages/16/450_deforestation_site_184180584863377691154085964243.jpg)

As deforestation continues to occur, the absence of rainforests has a significant impact on climate change. Carbon dioxide is not removed as quickly when fewer trees are present to absorb the element, likewise meaning that less oxygen is being released back into the atmosphere. This chemical imbalance leads to a higher presence of carbon dioxide in the air, which in turn raises the average temperature of the Earth. A higher global temperature can disrupt weather patterns, cause an increase in infrequent yet severe weather events, and place both humans and animals inside and outside of rainforest ecosystems in the way of harm. It is important to recognize and understand the threats of the rainforest in order to better understand the impact of climate on the Earth as a whole.

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**Lesson Summary**

The **Amazon Rainforest** is a densely populated biome located in South America that contains a **biodiverse** variety of plant and animal life. A **biome** is a large geographic area with a specific climate, such as a rainforest. The Amazon rainforest contains both biotic and abiotic characteristics to support the balance of life. **Abiotic factors** are non-living characteristics such as temperature, humidity, rainfall, and soil type. The Amazon rainforest can receive up to 260 inches of rain annually in some areas. The soil of the Amazon is nutrient-poor and thin but supports many organisms through the fast decomposition of matter. **Biotic factors** are living characteristics which allow the forest to function, including a tall canopy of trees and **trophic levels** used to describe the position of an organism in the food web.

The four trophic levels include producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and tertiary consumers. **Producers** such as coffee trees and banana trees produce their own food and fruits, which are consumed by **primary consumers** such as insects. Primary consumers are eaten by **secondary consumers** such as birds, who are then eaten by **tertiary consumers** such as jaguars, a top predator in the Amazon rainforest. Tertiary consumers are often considered **keystone species**, or organisms that function to keep the food web balanced. Rainforests such as the Amazon face many threats including poor infrastructure planning, deforestation, and illegal animal hunting, which have a significant impact on more serious global events such as climate change.

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## Video Transcript

## What Is the Amazon Rainforest?

Picture the dense jungles of South America. Large leaves and vines block the sunlight from penetrating down to the floor. Above you, monkeys howl to their troop members and birds give welcoming chirps to their flock. All around you the brush rustles with small mammals and insects skirting along the forest floor. This is the **Amazon rainforest**, a wet, tropical forest with lots of rain and warm temperatures year round.

Tropical rainforests are hot spots for **biodiversity**, also known as the variety of species in an area. The Amazon rainforest spans throughout South America, with the majority of it concentrated in Brazil.

## Amazon Rainforest Characteristics

Rainforests are a type of **biome**, or a large geographic area with a specific climate. Although this lesson focuses specifically on the Amazon rainforest, there are other rainforests located all over the world along the equator. All rainforests share **abiotic factors**, or non-living characteristics such as temperature, humidity, rainfall, and soil type.

Temperatures range between 65 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit in the tropical rainforest. However, don't be fooled by these temperate temperatures; the humidity in Amazon hovers around 85%, making it feel much hotter than what the thermometer reads. The high humidity creates a moist climate perfect for flourishing plants. Rainfall is also common in the Amazon, and some areas can receive as much as 260 inches of rain per year.

Surprisingly, the soil of the Amazon is actually quite lacking in nutrients; the sandy soils are very thin. However, due to the rapid turnover of organic material (plants and animals dying and quickly decomposing in the moist heat), these soils support an incredibly array of vegetation.

Tropical rainforests also share particular **biotic factors**, or living factors. Although some animals and plants are endemic only to the Amazon rainforest, all rainforests have a similar structure of life. The top layer of the rainforest is called the **canopy**. This area encompasses the very tops of trees, reaching up to 250 feet tall. The broad leaves of the canopy prevent much of the sunlight from reaching the forest floor, which in some areas remains almost completely dark.

The **understory** is the next layer beneath the canopy. This layer is filled with vines, ferns, and small trees. The **forest floor** is the bottom and is covered with decomposing plant and animal material, especially fallen leaves. Although few plants grow at this depth, many animals, fungi, and bacteria make the dark forest floor their home.

## Food Web

The Amazon's tropical rainforest ecosystem can be divided into layers, separating species based on how they get their energy. These layers are called trophic levels.

Species can be divided into four trophic levels:

1. Producers
2. Primary consumers
3. Secondary consumers, and
4. Tertiary consumers

### Producers

**Producers** are organisms that make their own food, like green plants. These organisms are numerous in the tropical rainforest, a biotic factor that makes up most of the forest. Many types of trees produce delicious fruits adored by both humans and animals alike. Bananas, coconuts, cacao, and oranges all come from tropical trees in the Amazon. If you appreciate a hot cup of coffee in the morning, you can give your thanks to the producers of the Amazon. Coffee trees are native to this area, and some of the world's finest coffee comes from the rainforest.

### Primary Consumers

With all these delicious fruits to consume, many species make this the staple of their diet. **Primary consumers** are organisms that only eat producers. Leaf cutter ants form a highly complex, social colony. These ants work to cut apart leaves, carrying them back to their colony. Although they are quite small, these ants carry leaves up to 50 times their own body weight.

Although we've only looked at terrestrial species so far, plants and animals also enjoy the waterways of the Amazon. The Amazon manatee weighs up to half a ton and can reach over eight feet in length. This giant is strictly vegetarian however, feeding on water lettuce and hyacinth.

### Secondary Consumers

Moving up in the food web, the **secondary consumers** eat primary consumers. The tropical birds of the rainforest, such as macaws, are a common secondary consumer, eating both small insects, fruits, and nuts. Toucans are black and white or yellow birds with beautifully colored, large beaks. Although their beaks are hollow like their bones, they are an excellent tool for snatching eggs, fruit, and insects from tiny branches that would otherwise not hold their weight.

However, a much creepier secondary consumer is nearly as large as the birds dwelling in the forest. Digging burrows on the forest floor, the Goliath birdeater is a massive spider the size of a dinner plate. It eats smaller birds, mice, and other primary consumers as long as they are smaller than it, by immobilizing them with a powerful venom.

### Tertiary Consumers

**Tertiary consumers** are usually at the top of the food chain. These species are often considered **keystone species**, meaning they keep the food web in balance. They eat both primary and secondary consumers, keeping their populations in check. An important, yet endangered tertiary consumer in the Amazon is the jaguar. Jaguars feed on grazing animals like capybara, deer, tapirs, etc. Unlike your common house cat, these cats aren't afraid of water. In fact, they are strong swimmers and will easily hunt fish, turtles, or even other tertiary consumers, like caimans.

## Lesson Summary

Let's take a couple of moments to review what we've learned. The **Amazon rainforest** is a wet, tropical forest with lots of rain and warm temperatures year round. It's a type of **biome**, which is a large geographic area with a specific climate. This particular biome is characterized by **abiotic factors**, which are non-living characteristics such as temperature, humidity, rainfall, and soil type. In the case of the Amazon rainforest, it's characterized by abiotic factors, like nutrient-poor soil, heavy rainfall, humid air, and warm temperatures.

It's also characterized by having a lot of **biodiversity**, also known as the variety of species in an area. The trees are a main **biotic factor**, or living factor, in the rainforest, creating a three-story environment with a **canopy**, the top layer; **understory**, the midlevel; and **forest floor**, the bottom. **Producers** include trees, aquatic plants, and vines. **Primary consumers**, like leaf cutter ants and manatees, eat producers. Many birds act as **secondary consumers**, like toucans and macaws, and eat primary consumers, likes ants, as well as eating nuts and berries. The Goliath birdeater is another secondary consumer. **Tertiary consumers** are at the top of the food web, making them **keystone species**, which means they keep the food web in balance. One example is the jaguar.

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