The Congo Basin Rainforest is home to more different species of plants then any other country in Africa. The competition for light means that tall growth is necessary in order for plants to continue living. Only about 1% of sunlight reaches the ground, which means plants that are on the ground and are not that tall do not get as much sunlight to survive and might die. 11,000 forest plants have been identified and 1,100 of these plants can be found nowhere else and about 69 of these plant species are threatened in this ecosystem. Medical plants that are harvested from this rainforest have biochemicals that are extracted and are used to synthesis drugs. There has been 1,400 tropical forest plants that have been identified to potentially fight cancer in this area. However deforestation can wipe out all these plants and eliminate the possible cure for many incurable diseases.
Tropism- the movement of a plant in response to an environmental stimulus.
Plant 1: Lianas are most common in the Congo Basin Rainforest, and they can grow up to three thousand feet tall (914 meters). Lianas are vines that begin life on the ground as small self-supporting shrubs. They rely on other plants to reach the rich light environment at the top of the trees in the rainforest. The small plants on the ground that don't get much sunlight get their mineral nutrients from the decomposition of dead materials, plants. Since lianas use the architecture of other plants for support, other plants give them very little structural support but instead give them more resources and nutrients for lead production and stem/root continuation for rapid growth. Lianas take nothing from other trees but support in order to grow. Lianas adapted to the Congo Rainforest by being able to have support form other trees and dead plants that give off nutrients, in order to grow and receive sunlight from the top of the forest, the canopy layer, to survive. The fact the lianas' stems grow towards light, with the help of other tress, and their cells grow rapidly, shows how tropism is present in this plant.
Plant 2: There is a huge variety of orchids that vary from species on the ground to the 70 percent of orchids that grow as epiphytes. Orchids are well adapted to life in the Congo Basin Rainforest. They grow on trees but relies on the nutrients from the air, falling rain, and the compost that lies on tree branches. They have roots that are capable of absorbing nutrients and and water rapidly. They also have a secondary stem that can hold large amounts of water, so orchids can survive periods of drought, if there's any. Depending where they are located in the rainforest, if the are in a place where they don't receive much sunlight then they will not need to use the secondary stem. Also the secondary stem is not useful in the rainforest, because there will never be droughts. Orchids can survive in the rainforest because they produce tiny seeds, which there are hundreds of thousand of them. The balloon-like seed coat are combined with the small seed size that enables the orchid's seeds to be scattered over great areas by the wind. The seeds attack to wherever they are taken and settled by wind and begin to grow and develop on that tree or on the ground. Orchids also utilize insects to spread their pollen, in order to reproduce and have a great variety of them. They have tiny blooms which release a mildew-like odor that attracts small insects for fertilization. Orchids are able to access more direct sunlight, have a greater number of canopy animal pollinators and a higher possibility of scattering their seeds by the wind. Tropism is present in orchids because they grow on a host, a tree and they grow on trees that access direct sunlight, making orchids grow towards sunlight. Auxin allow the cells in their stem's to grow and they allow their secondary stem for a larger space to store water.
Plant 3: Most of the soil found in rainforests is very poor in nutrients, all the nutrients are located on surface level. This causes many rainforest trees to have shallow roots and not be able to absorb much nutrients in order for them to grow. Very tall trees in the Congo Basin Rainforest develop ways of obtaining additional help by forming buttressed roots. They grow out of the base of the tree trunk and are sometimes as high as 15 ft above the ground. The roots increase the area over which nutrients can be absorbed from the soil and give nutrients to the roots and let the tree grow taller than it already is. Buttress root help support the trees in their weight, by absorbing large amounts of water and holding it strong in windy conditions. Trees in general adapt to the Congo Basin Rainforest by finding a way to develop buttressed roots, to get support and help from them, to survive and not get knocked down by hard winds. Since the trees in the rainforest are very heavy the buttressed roots help them with their weights. Many trees have been knocked down by hard winds because of their weight and there's nothing that supports them. Tropism is present in trees with buttressed roots because the stems growth continues once the trees stem is secure with strong roots and base. The tree's stem continues growing towards sunlight and continue getting even taller.
Tropism- the movement of a plant in response to an environmental stimulus.
Plant 1: Lianas are most common in the Congo Basin Rainforest, and they can grow up to three thousand feet tall (914 meters). Lianas are vines that begin life on the ground as small self-supporting shrubs. They rely on other plants to reach the rich light environment at the top of the trees in the rainforest. The small plants on the ground that don't get much sunlight get their mineral nutrients from the decomposition of dead materials, plants. Since lianas use the architecture of other plants for support, other plants give them very little structural support but instead give them more resources and nutrients for lead production and stem/root continuation for rapid growth. Lianas take nothing from other trees but support in order to grow. Lianas adapted to the Congo Rainforest by being able to have support form other trees and dead plants that give off nutrients, in order to grow and receive sunlight from the top of the forest, the canopy layer, to survive. The fact the lianas' stems grow towards light, with the help of other tress, and their cells grow rapidly, shows how tropism is present in this plant.
Plant 2: There is a huge variety of orchids that vary from species on the ground to the 70 percent of orchids that grow as epiphytes. Orchids are well adapted to life in the Congo Basin Rainforest. They grow on trees but relies on the nutrients from the air, falling rain, and the compost that lies on tree branches. They have roots that are capable of absorbing nutrients and and water rapidly. They also have a secondary stem that can hold large amounts of water, so orchids can survive periods of drought, if there's any. Depending where they are located in the rainforest, if the are in a place where they don't receive much sunlight then they will not need to use the secondary stem. Also the secondary stem is not useful in the rainforest, because there will never be droughts. Orchids can survive in the rainforest because they produce tiny seeds, which there are hundreds of thousand of them. The balloon-like seed coat are combined with the small seed size that enables the orchid's seeds to be scattered over great areas by the wind. The seeds attack to wherever they are taken and settled by wind and begin to grow and develop on that tree or on the ground. Orchids also utilize insects to spread their pollen, in order to reproduce and have a great variety of them. They have tiny blooms which release a mildew-like odor that attracts small insects for fertilization. Orchids are able to access more direct sunlight, have a greater number of canopy animal pollinators and a higher possibility of scattering their seeds by the wind. Tropism is present in orchids because they grow on a host, a tree and they grow on trees that access direct sunlight, making orchids grow towards sunlight. Auxin allow the cells in their stem's to grow and they allow their secondary stem for a larger space to store water.
Plant 3: Most of the soil found in rainforests is very poor in nutrients, all the nutrients are located on surface level. This causes many rainforest trees to have shallow roots and not be able to absorb much nutrients in order for them to grow. Very tall trees in the Congo Basin Rainforest develop ways of obtaining additional help by forming buttressed roots. They grow out of the base of the tree trunk and are sometimes as high as 15 ft above the ground. The roots increase the area over which nutrients can be absorbed from the soil and give nutrients to the roots and let the tree grow taller than it already is. Buttress root help support the trees in their weight, by absorbing large amounts of water and holding it strong in windy conditions. Trees in general adapt to the Congo Basin Rainforest by finding a way to develop buttressed roots, to get support and help from them, to survive and not get knocked down by hard winds. Since the trees in the rainforest are very heavy the buttressed roots help them with their weights. Many trees have been knocked down by hard winds because of their weight and there's nothing that supports them. Tropism is present in trees with buttressed roots because the stems growth continues once the trees stem is secure with strong roots and base. The tree's stem continues growing towards sunlight and continue getting even taller.