Works Cited

"Decomposers." South American Amazon Rainforest. Web. 3 Feb. 2015. <http://addiesrainforest.weebly.com/decomposers.html>.

"Hyacinth Macaw: An Endangered Species." Bagheera. Web. 3 Feb. 2015. <http://www.bagheera.com/inthewild/van_anim_macaw.htm>.

"Rainforest Biomes." Rainforest Biomes. Web. 3 Feb. 2015. <http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/rainforest.htm>.

"Spider Monkeys, Spider Monkey Pictures, Spider Monkey Facts - National Geographic." National Geographic. Web. 3 Feb. 2015. <http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/spider-monkey/>.

"The Absolute Insider Guide to South America Travel." Unique South America Travel Experience. Web. 3 Feb. 2015. <http://www.unique-southamerica-travel-experience.com/amazon-rainforest-climate.html>.

"The Amazon's Seasonal Secret : Feature Articles." The Amazon's Seasonal Secret : Feature Articles. Web. 3 Feb. 2015. <http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/AmazonLAI/amazon_lai3.php>.

"Tropical Rainforests across the World Are Highly Diverse, but Share Several Defining Characteristics including Climate, Precipitation, Canopy Structure, Complex Symbiotic Relationships, and Diversity of Species." Mongabay.com. Web. 3 Feb. 2015. <http://rainforests.mongabay.com/amazon/rainforest_ecology.html>.

Video

Food Web

Biotic Factors (4)- Endangered Species

One of Amazon's most endangered species is the Hyacinth Macaw. Macaws are brightly colored parrots who are extremely love able and social animals.They are so endangered because their forest homes are being destroyed.  They are also endangered because so many of them are captured and put into cages and sold to people as pets.Hyacinth Macaws can bring in $5,000 to $10,000 each in the pet trade.  This high price fosters a dangerous level of poaching and smuggling in the Amazon.

Biotic Factors (3)

The Amazon Rainforest is abundant in the number of decomposers and scavengers.  Some of these include; Velvet Worms, Vermilion Waxcap Mushrooms, Partula Snails, Cup Fungus, and Leaf Beetles.

Velvet Worms: Onychophora

Velvet Worms live on forest floors and eat small invertebrates, isopods, termites and small mollusks.

Vermilion Waxcap Mushrooms: Hygrocybe Miniata

Vermilion Waxcap Mushrooms thrive on trees and other plants and thoroughly enjoy the rainforests high humidity. 

Partula Snails: Partula Gastropod

Partula Snails are land snails who spend most of their time munching on nutrients on the backs of broad leaves. 

Cup Fungus: Pezizacea

Cup Fungi produce mushrooms that grow in the shape of a cup that serve to catch raindrops that are absorbed into the pores of the Fungus, keeping it alive.  

Leaf Beetles: Chrysomelidae

Leaf beetles are found in the canopies of the rainforest and on the back of leaves.

Biotic Factors (2)

Half of the world's species are homed in tropical rainforests. Some of these species living in the Amazon include the Spider Monkey, the Sloth, the Toucan, the Amazon Pink River Dolphin, and the Jaguar.

Spider Monkey: Simia Paniscus 

Spider Monkeys are omnivores who spend most of their time among the trees, swinging from branch to branch with their long, nimble arms.

The Sloth: Bradypus Variegatus

The Sloth, world's slowest mammal,  spend nearly all of their time aloft, hanging from branches with a powerful grip aided by their long claws. 

The Toucan: Ramphastidae
 

Toucans, whose call can be heard from a mile away, live in flocks high above the ground in the trees flashing their brightly colored beaks.  

Pink River Dolphin: Inia Geoffrensis

The Pink River Dolphin is homed in the Amazon River running straight through the forest. It's skin is pink and the species is rapidly approaching extinction due to fishing nets and people hunting them. 

The Jaguar; Panthera Onca 
One of the most dangerous animals in the Amazon Rainforest, the Jaguar, uses its excellent agility to climb trees, chase, and swim after its prey.  

Biotic Factors (1)

Plants that convert sunlight into energy through photosynthesis are classic autotrophs, and due to the moist, warm climate a huge diversity of plants are found in the Amazon Rainforest.

5 Major Autotrophs: 

1)  Brazil Nut Tree: Bertholletia Excelsa

The Brazil Nut Tree, one of the tallest in the Amazon Rainforest, can grow up to around 160 feet in height and are known for their production of the delectable Brazil Nut.

2) Kapok Tree: Ceiba Pentandra

The Kapok tree is the most important autotroph in the Amazon Rainforest as it towers almost 230 feet in height, proving as a host for other plants and animals.

3)Bromeliads: Bromeliacea

Bromeliads are a group of over 3,000 species whose spirally woven leaves provide a drinking and breeding location for animals such as dart frogs.

4) Passion Flower Vine: Passiflora
The Passion Flower Vine grows up large trees, providing stability for animals such as monkeys and the leaves and flowers provide homes and nutrients for small insects.

5) Giant Water Lily: Victoria Amazonica

Giant Water Lilies, growing up to 2.65 m in diameter, protect themselves from fish and other aquatic species with their large spines growing on their roots in contrast to their extremely buoyant veins that keep them afloat.

Abiotic Factors

The abiotic factors of this rainforest biome are-the amount of sunlight, climate, soil composition, weather and precipitation.   In this region sunlight strikes Earth at roughly a 90-degree angle resulting in intense solar energy. This intensity is due to the consistent day length on the equator: 12 hours a day, 365 days per year. This consistent sunlight provides the essential energy necessary to power the forest via photosynthesis. The average temperature here in the Amazon Rainforest is about 80.7 degrees Fahrenheit.  The temperature in this area usually never exceeds 93 degrees Fahrenheit nor does is drop below 68 degrees Fahrenheit.  The Amazon has some of the deepest tropical soils in the world.  Since the amount of soil is so abundant and mainly untouched, the composition of it is extremely nutritional for the trees and plants. The average amount of rainfall in the Amazon Rainforest is anywhere from 56 to 260 inches annually.   It rains more than ninety days a year in the rainforest, and between these rain storms, the sun usually heats up the earth. The warm air and abundance of rain make it a perfect climate for growing trees that grow extremely large and tall in the. Some trees grow to the height of more than 165 feet and have straight trunks that don't branch out for 100 feet or more. The  tall trees branches can form a canopy or shield preventing the rain and sun from reaching the forest floor. There is little light below the canopy so most trees do not have branches or leaves below this level.  The plants that grow below the canopy, such as mosses and ferns adapt to the lack of sunlight and can grow quite well along the floor of the forest. The Amazon is also in the realm of the trade winds, a belt of easterly winds that circles the globe a few degrees north and south of the equator. The winds bring moisture-laden air from the tropical Atlantic Ocean over the continent.

General Information

The country I researched was Brazil, located in South America.  Brazil is extremely diverse in terms of Biomes, however, the country's most abundant biome is that of the Amazon.  The Amazon consists mostly of Tropical Rain Forest.  The general Latitude for this area is about -13.453737
 and the general Longitude for this area is about -71.191406. The Amazon is considered the most biologically diverse biome in the world. This biome occupy an area of 4,196,943 square kilometers, which represents more than 40% of the country and consists mainly of rainforest. The Amazon is made up of distinct ecosystems which include tropical forests, seasonal forests, and inundated forests, flooded fields, meadows, grasslands, mountain refuges and pioneer formations.