Tropical vegetation. Tropical vegetation area

A tropical forest - Forest distributed in tropical, equatorial and subscance belts between 25 ° C. sh. and 30 ° sh. Tropical forests are found in a wide belt surrounding the land by the equator and torn only by the ocean and mountains.

Total atmospheric circulation occurs from high atmospheric pressure area in the area of \u200b\u200bthe tropics in the zone low pressure In the area of \u200b\u200bthe Equator, the evaporated moisture is transferred in the same direction. This leads to the existence of a wet equatorial belt and dry tropical. Between them is a subequatorial belt, in which moisturizing depends on the direction of the wind (monsoon), depending on the time of year.

Vegetation tropical forests It is very diverse, depends mainly on the number of precipitation and their distribution at the time of the year. In the case of abundant (more than 2000 mm) and their more or less uniform distribution are developing wedgeotropic evergreen forests. As they remove from the equator, forests appear in which moisturizing depends on the time of year: the rainy period is replaced by dry. This is winter-depleted variable-wet rainforests with falling drought leaves. Next, these forests are replaced by savanna forests. At the same time in Africa and South America, monsoon and equatorial forests Replaced by savanna forests from west to east. With an even more dry climate, the treasures are cutting, savanna forests are replaced by xerofilic column forests and thickets of shrubs.

Distribution of tropical forests

Immediately it will become clear where the rainforests grow, if you explain that they seek the planet by the Equator. They are located in a wet equatorial, dry tropical, moderate subequatorial belts, representing a clear line, interrupted only by mountains and oceans. Depending on the air temperature and the amount of precipitation, vegetation changes. Rainy areas are covered with evergreen flora, more dry regions are characteristic of deciduous plants, and then savanna forests are coming. Both in South America and in Africa in the West are monsoon, in the east - savannah, and in the middle - equatorial forests.

Forest levels

The description of the tropical forest will be more understandable if it is divided into tiers. You can select four main levels. The topmost is evergreen trees up to 70 m high, they are mostly green caps only on top, but from below - naked trunks. These giants withstand hurricanes without problems, temperature drops, covering the remaining tiers from bad weather. Main hosts here - eagles, butterflies, the bats. Then there is a forest canopy consisting of 45-meter trees. The crown level is considered the most diverse, approximately 25% of all types of insects live here. Scientists agree that 40% of the species of all plants on the planet are located on this tier, although it is not fully studied.

Classification of tropical forests

The main groups of rainforest formations are rain, or wet, and seasonal.

• Wet tropical forests are common in the equatorial belt, are characterized by abundant precipitation (2000-7000 mm, sometimes even up to 12,000 mm) and relatively uniform distribution during the year with a practically unchanged average air temperature (24-28 ° C). Major distribution regions: South America, Central Africa, Southeast Asia and Australia. Wet tropical forests are considered the center of evolutionary activity, a place for the formation of new species that extend to the rest of the regions. They are the most ancient type of vegetation, have practically not changed from the tertiary period. The main groups of humidotropic forests are wet evergreen mountain forests, tropical swampy forests, rain tropical plain forests, mangra.
• Mangrass are distributed in the tidal and tidal zone of tropical coasts and, if this is favorable warm currents, then along the shores in moderate climatic zone. They grow in places free from water during low tide and flooded during the tide.
• Tropical mountain evergreen forests grow as a rule above 1500-1800 m, where air temperatures are lowered to 10-12 ° and lower, which does not give to develop many organisms. Relative preservation of these forests having a noticeable value in stabilization natural conditions (water protection, anti-erosion, etc.), contributes to their low economic importance associated with the difficulties of mastering the line of relief.
• Swampy forests occupy a noticeable smaller area than uneplicated plain forests. According to its properties, they are close, although they have enough differences. Being common on the same plains, they create a landscape mosaic of tropical forests.

• Seasonal tropical forests grow in areas where despite good moisturizing, (2500-3000 mm), there is a dry period. The amount of precipitation and duration of the arid period in different forests of non-etinakov, among them distinguish evergreen seasonal forests (for example, Australian eucalyptus), hospital native forests (Falls are represented in the upper tier, in the lower - evergreen), bright rarely rescued forests (the floral composition is poor, it is represented by one breed). Falls seasonal rainforests are divided into monsoon forests And savanna forests.
• The monsoon forests grow in the field of action of monsoon, the dry period lasts about 4-5 months. Are in southern and South-East Asia, including in Indoostan, Indochita, Malacca Peninsula, in the north-east of Java Island. The forests of this type also grow in West Indies and Central America (Trinidad Island, Costa Rica) and West Africa.
• Savanne forests are common in tropical areas with a clearly pronounced dry season and the annual amount of precipitation, than in the belt of closed forests. Completed on most of the Cuba and other islands Caribbean, in many areas of South America, Eastern and Central Africa And in some places in India, China and Australia.
• Bready xerophilic forests and shrubs grow in areas with even less precipitation, for example, Caating, the duration of the dry season is at least 6 months.

The vegetation of seasonal rainforest

In monsoon forests, one can distinguish three main groups of plant communities.

• In mixed forests, terminals, Dalbergia, Albia and others are dominated, the undergrowth consists of bamboo and small palm trees.
• In teak forests - teak tree (Tektona Big), leaf fall acacia lencophloea and albizzia procera and evergreen Butea Frondosa, Scheichera Trijuda, etc.
• Forests from shores of giganic, undergrowth of terminal, Sternia, etc.

Ebenic trees grow in India, Indian Lavr. Liana and epiphytes, although not so numerous, as in evergreen, but there are more than in savanna forests. Forest canopy in monsoon forests is resolved compared to the wedgeotropic forest, so the herbal cover in them is closed. Herbs are mostly annual, wild sugar cane prevails in the most dry areas.

For the upper tier of forests of this type in West Africa, Triplochiton is especially characteristic of TRIPLOHITON SCLEROXYLON.

For savanna forests are typical of deciduous trees from the family of legumes, whose crown is usually flat umbrella. Trees have a height of 18 m. In places where the height of the trees is 3-4.5 m, in the rainy season, the trees can be above the trees. The basis of herbal cover is cereals.

In the prickly xerophilic forests there are trees with scaped leaves and shrubs with green stems without leaves. Plants are often covered with barns, stalk and roots fabrics are able to store water.

Herbs of tropical forests

In the virgin forests inhabit the incredibly beautiful, bright, with unusual appearance birds. Each individual part of the light boasts some kind of feathery. For example, in the tropics of Asia live touring, in appearance they resemble partridges, only a little larger. They are quickly running, so in the case of danger, they do not take off, but you fly out that there are strength. Sustained chickens, pheasants, royal peacocks also live in the forests. In American tropics, you can meet Tinama - poorly flying bird with short but very strong legs. Well, how do not remember the bright, fun and talked parrots, without which the tropics are not the tropics. In addition, the Equator lives a motley pigeons, trunks, woodwoods, flies, rhinos birds and others.

Animal world

By the number of types of tropical forests, the forests of moderate and cold countries are significantly superior, the fauna of tropical rain forests is the richest, nevertheless, the number of representatives of each individual species in them is small.

As a rule, tropical forest animals live on trees, and in crowns. Mammal representatives are monkeys, flying, sloths, sovereign proteins, needles, some insectivores, predatory and so on. Birds represent parrots, woodpeckers, tucanis, hummingbirds, cranes, municipal and others; Examples of reptiles are chameleons, wood snakes, some Gecko, Iguan, Agama; Amphibians - some frogs. Many reptile poisonous.

In humidotropic forests, due to lack of light underols and herbal cover is poor, so terrestrial species There are few in them. They are posed by tapir, rhinos, bakers, hippos. Area large mammals, including elephants, giraffes, buffaloes here are seasonal rainforests

The invertebrates are very diverse, they can be large enough, stand out by richness of shapes and coloring, among them ants, many-digging, butterflies and others.

Ecology

The result of using the covered fire farming in National Park Namdapha (India)

Tropical forests are extremely important for the planet's biosphere, they are habitating almost half of all inhabiting its biological species, over 80% of all plant species. The area of \u200b\u200btropical forests is half the forest area of \u200b\u200bthe Earth. They produce 69% of all clean primary forest products of the world. Tropical forests evaporate about 9% in the water atmosphere. Despite the high biological productivity (up to 3,500 g / m² per year) and a large oad of the leaves, the reserve of bedding in them is significantly less than in moderate forests. This is due to both the intensity of washing in rainforests, and with the general intensity of the decomposition, and the mushrooms and termites are processed over 90% of the annual increase. vegetable substance. The rest eaten herps, which, in turn, serve as a source of nutrition for predators.

Half of the primary rainforest disappeared - instead of them, secondary forests have grown, or there are herbaceous communities that can turn into the desert. The greatest fears cause a reduction in rainpin forests. Seasonal Tropics Ecosystems adapted as seasonal changesand to inter-annual differences in the duration of dry and wet periods, so they are more resistant to anthropogenic effects. The process is exacerbated by the fact that under the cutting of forests in just 1-2 years, the nutrients from the soil in the subsoil soil occurs. The main reasons for reducing the area of \u200b\u200brainforest are:

• cutting-firing agriculture,
• burning forests for pastures,
• foreworing.

Many international organizations, for example, IUCN, UN FAO, UNEP, are aware of the importance of tropical forests for the planet's biosphere and promotes their conservation. About 40 million hectares of protected territories have been created here, among them national parks Salonka and Mayco (Zaire); Zhau, Amazonian (Brazil); Manu (Peru), Canaima (Venezuela). It is believed that in order to preserve tropical forest ecosystems, protected areas should cover at least 10% of forest area.

About half of all forests on our planet fall on tropical forests (hyilets) growing in Africa, Southeast Asia, South and Central America. Tropical forests are located between 25 ° northern latitude and 30 ° southern latitude where they often pass storm rains. The rainforest ecosystem takes less than two percent of the surface of the Earth, but there are from 50 to 70 percent of all the forms of our planet's life.

The largest rainforests are in Brazil (South America), Zaire (Africa) and Indonesia (Southeast Asia). Also the rainforest is found in Hawaii, Islands Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean.

Climate of tropical forests

The climate in the rainforest is very warm, characterized by wet. Every year here drops from 400 to 1000 cm of precipitation. For tropics, the uniform annual distribution of precipitation is characterized. The change of seasons is practically absent, and average temperature The air is equal to 28 degrees Celsius. All these conditions significantly affected the formation of the richest ecosystem on our planet.

Soil in the rainforest

The soil of the tropics is poor on minerals and nutrients, - there is a lack of potassium, nitrogen and other trace elements. It usually has red and red-yellow. Because of frequent precipitation, the useful substances are absorbed by the roots of the plants or go muffled soil. That is why the hill-fire agricultural system was used by the Aboriginals of the Tropical Forests: all the vegetation was cut in small areas, it was later burned, then the soil was processed. The ash acts as a nutrient. When the soil begins to turn into fruitless, usually after 3-5 years, residents of tropical settlements moved to new areas for agriculture. This is a steady method of making agriculture, providing constant restoration of the forest.

Plants of tropical forests

The warm wet climate of the rainforest provides the perfect environment for a huge abundance of amazing vegetable life. Tropical forest is divided into several tiers for which its flora and fauna is characteristic. The highest trees of the tropics, get the greatest number sunlightSince they reach the height of more than 50 meters. Here, for example, include a cotton tree.

The second tier is the dome. It is a habitat for half of representatives wildlife Tropical forests - birds, snakes and monkeys. This includes trees with high leaves below 50 m with wide leaves, hiding sunlight from the lower floors. This is a phylodendron, strikhnos of domestic and rathana palm trees. According to them, the Liana is usually stretched to the sun.

The third tier is inhabited by shrubs, ferns and other shadowed species.

The last tier, the lower, usually dark and humid, since the sun's rays are almost disobeyed. It consists of a rebar of foliage, mushrooms and lichen, as well as the young row of plants of higher tiers.

In each of the regions where tropical forests grow, there are found different types trees.

Tropical trees Central and South America:

• Red Tree (Sweitinia SPP.)
• Spanish cedar (Cedrella SPP.)
• Rosewood and Kokobolo (Dalbergia Retusa)
• Purple Tree (Purptogyne Purpurea)
• Kingwood (Kingwood)
• Sedro Espin (Pochote Spinosa)
• Tulipwood
• Gayakan (Tabebuia Chrysantha)
• Tabbuia Rosea (Tabebuia Rosea)
• Bottle (Bocote)
• Yatoba (Hymenaea Courbaril)
• Guapinol (Prioria Copaifera)

Tropical Africa trees:

• Bubega
• Ebony
• Zebrano
• Pink tree

Tropical Asian trees:

• Malaysian Maple

In the rain rainforest is widespread, which feed on caught insects and small animals. Among them should be noted neppentens (Pitcher Plants), Rosyanka, granus, bubble. By the way, the low-level plants with their bright flowering attract insects to pollination, since the wind is almost absent in these layers.

In places of cutting of tropical forests, valuable agricultural crops are grown:

• mango;
• bananas;
• papaya;
• coffee;
• cocoa;
• vanilla;
• sesame;
• sugarcane;
• avocado;
• cardamom;
• cinnamon;
• turmeric;
• nutmeg.

These cultures play important role in cooking and cosmetology. Some tropical plants serve as raw materials for drugs, in particular, anti-cancer.

Adaptation of tropical plants for survival

Any flora needs moisture. In the rainforest there is no lack of water, but often it happens too much. Plants of tropical forests should survive in areas where shower are constantly running and flooding. The leaves of tropical plants help to beat the rain drops, and some species are armed with a drip tip designed for rapid flowing of precipitation.

Plants of tropics for life need light. The thick vegetation of the top of the forest tiers passes little sunlight on the lower tiers. Therefore, plant rainforest plants should either adapt to life in permanent twilight, or grow quickly up to "see" the sun.

It is worth noting that trees with fine and smooth bark grow in the tropics, which can accumulate moisture. Some types of plants at the bottom of the crown have the leaves wider than the top. It helps skip more sun ray To the soil.

As for the epiphyts themselves, or air plants growing in the rainforest, they receive nutrients from vegetable garbage and avian litter, which land on the roots and do not depend on the poor forest soil. In tropical forests there are such aerial plants like orchid, bromeliel, fern, selenicereus large-flowered and others.

As mentioned, the soil in most rainforests is very poor and does not contain nutrients. To capture nutrients on the top of the soil, most tropical forest trees have minor roots. Others are wide and powerful, as they must keep a massive tree.

Animals of tropical forest

Animals of the rainforests affect their variety. It is in this natural zone that you can find the greatest number of representatives of the fauna of our planet. Most of them in the rain forests of Amazon. For example, there are 1800 species of butterflies alone.

In general, the rainforest is the habitat of most amphibians (lizards, snakes, crocodiles, salamander), predators (jaguars, tigers, leopards, pum). All animal tropics have a bright color, as stains and strips are a better disguise in a thick more often jungle. The sounds of the rainforest are provided by the multi-eyed peating birds. In the forests of the tropics, the world's largest parrot population, among others interesting birds meet south American Garpiiarelated to one of the fifty types of eagles and on the verge of disappearance. No less bright feathers are peacocks, about the beauty of which legends are long.

In the tropics there are also more monkeys: spider-shaped, orangutans, chimpanzees, monkeys, baboons, gibbons, red-breed jumpers, gorillas. In addition, there are sloths, lemurs, Malay and sunny bears, rhinos, hoppures, poultry spiders, ants, Piranhas and other animals.

Disappearance of tropical forests

Tropical wood has long been synonymous with operation and robbery. Giant trees are the goal of entrepreneurs who use them for commercial purposes. How to exploit forests? The most obvious way to apply Tropical forest trees is the furniture industry.

According to the European Commission, about one fifth of the import of wood in the EU is illegal sources. Every day, thousands of international wooden mafia products pass through store shelves. Products from tropical wood are often marked as "Luxury Wood", " hardwood"," Natural Wood "and" Massive Wood ". Usually these terms are used to disguise tropical wood from Asia, Africa and Latin America.

The main exporting countries of tropical trees - Cameroon, Brazil, Indonesia and Cambodia. The most popular I. dear breed Tropical wood that goes for sale is mahagony, tick and pink tree.

Inexpensive tropical rocks include Meranti, Ramin, Gabun.

Consequences of cutting of rainforest

In most countries where tropical forests grow, illegal logging are commonplace and a serious problem. Economic losses reach billions of dollars, and the environmental and social damage is incurred.

The consequence of the cutting of tropical forests is deforestation and deep environmental changes. Tropical forests contain the largest in the world. As a result of the poaching cutting of millions of animal and plants, we lose the habitat and, as a result, disappear.

According to the Red List of the International Union of Nature Protection (IUCN), more than 41,000 species of plants and animals are under threat, including big monkeyssuch as gorillas and orangutans. Scientific assessments lost species Strongly different: from 50 to 500 species per day.

In addition, a logging machinery involved for the export of wood destroys the sensitive top layer of the soil, damages the roots and the bark of other trees.

Prey iron Ore, bauxite, gold, oil and other minerals also destroys large squares Tropical forests, for example, in Amazonia.

The value of tropical forests

Wet rainforests play an important role in the ecosystem of our planet. Defore cut this natural zone leads to education greenhouse effect And, afterwards, to global warming. The largest rainforest in the world - the Forest of Amazonia - in this process plays the most important role. 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions are attributed to deforestation. Almost the Tropical Amazon Forest keeps 120 billion tons of carbon.

Tropical forests also contain a huge amount of water. Therefore, another consequence of deforestation is a disturbed water cycle. This in turn can lead to droughts at the regional level and changes in global weather conditions - with potentially destructive consequences.

The tropical forest is home to unique representatives of flora and fauna.

How to protect tropical forests?

To prevent negative consequences Deforestations need to expand forest areas, strengthen the control over the forests at the state and international levels. In addition, it is important to raise the awareness of people about what role the forests play on this planet. According to the ecologists, it is also worth encouraging the reduction, processing and reuse of forest products. The transition to alternative energy sources, such as fossil gas, in turn can reduce the need to operate the forest for heating.

Forest cutting, including tropical, can be carried out without damaging this ecosystem. In Central and South America and Africa, cutting down trees is made by a selective method. Only the trees reached a certain age and thickness of the trunk of trees, and the young remain intact. Such a method is minimal damage to the forest, because it makes it possible to recover quickly.

Wet tropical forests are located between the northern and southern tropics, on both sides of the equator. Soils under them are latice and reds. These forests occupy a large area on Earth: in America - Pool r. Amazon, East Coast of Central America, most Antilie o-grays; In Africa, they grow in the r. Congo, in the region of large lakes and on the eastern coast of Madagascar; In Asia - on the Philippine, Molukki and Zonda O-Wah, in the south of Malakka. Tropical forests occupy small sections in Australia, cover all the new Guinea and many of the Pacific Islands.

The tropical forest amazes with wealth and variety of plant forms. Through its green thickets are very difficult. There are places completely impassable. In such cases local residents use trails laid large wild beastsor transferred along rivers. The forest is half a half. The air here is warm and wet, no refreshing wind, and it is difficult to breathe. Validaya heat does not pass at night.

The trees of wet rainforests are striking their height. Take three of our tree and mentally put them on each other: then you will receive an idea of \u200b\u200bthe height of tropical trees. They reach 80 m. Branches with leaves are at such an altitude that they are difficult to see.

Trees are located in four or five tiers. In our forests, usually one or two tiers. Trees trunks are liar - wood and grassy plants. Liana wrap trunks of trees, throw away from one tree to another, forming impassable plexus.

The trunks and branches of trees are hung with epiphyts - plants that are attached to other plants. Among epiphytes are very common ferns, orchids and plants from the Bromelian family with very beautiful bright flowers. On large and rigid leaves of tropical trees, algae and lichens are settled - the so-called epifilles.

In wet tropical forests amazes the huge power of the plant mass. How many nutrients and water is required for its continuous development!

In the tropical forests up to 12 thousand mm of precipitation per year (on average more than 2000 mm).

During the year, the tropical forest seems unchanged, as if there is no leaf fall. But this is not the case: the leaf fall is the usual phenomenon here, only the trees are discarded by the foliage at the same time, but at different times. There are such types of trees that leave the leaves first on one part of the tree, then to another.

An important feature of the trees of a wet rainforest is the lack of scales on the kidneys.

It is believed that tropical forests are similar to flowering gardens. This is not true. Soviet nerd Yu. N. Voronov, a member of the expedition to South America, so described these forests: "A lot, too much greens, but very few bright colors, completely opposed to the concern about the painfulness of the rainforest." Flowers in the rainforest can be seen mainly on the edges lit by the sun.

The characteristic tree of tropics is familiar to the whole room fountain. Scientists are up to 600 types of ficuses. In the tropics, the ficus is a huge tree, up to 30 m high. Ficus leaves are wide, rigid, leathery and shiny - up to one meter long. Soviet nerd M. S. Dunin, who visited India, described the ficus, the shadow of which covered the area of \u200b\u200bmore hectare. Ficus leaves contain rubber. Earlier to obtain rubber, it was bred on plantations; Now the ficus is repulsed by another rubbing plant - Gevei.

GEVEY - Tree of Brazilian forests. All parts of the plant contain milky juice, in which sometimes up to 50% rubber. One tree gives an average of 3-4 kg of rubber per year. Gevei was transported and cultivated on plantations of Africa and Asia.

In a wet rainforest a lot different species Palm. Palm has a high barrel without branches with large leaves collected on top. Many species of palm trees are very useful plants: Coconut, Oilseed, Wine, etc.

Everywhere in the tropics, a cocoa tree has been spread, transported from America. From its seeds make cocoa and chocolate. Flowers and fruits are formed right on the trunk. Such a feature is peculiar to many trees of wet rainforests. It is possible that this is due to the high height of the crown of trees, where it is difficult to get insect pollinators.

In the forests of Africa, a coffee tree grows. It, as well as the cocoa tree, is cultivated in all the tropics.

In wet rainforests, you can find the longest plants on the ground - the palm trees of the Rotanges. The length of them reaches 400 m. Rotan stems are similar to thick ropes. Curly leaves collected only on the top of the stem, have sharp, coated spikes at the end. Spiky of the top of the stem and spikes give the possibility of Liana to be held firmly on the trunks of the trees. If you are inappropriate to grab your hand for Rotange, you can paint your hand as a saw.

The fruits of one of the types of tropical lianas are known all over the world. This is black pepper.

The fruits of many tropical plants are edible and pleasant to taste, but they are difficult to transport: they are too gentle. Such, for example, mango fruit. It with an apple (according to the form is usually an elongated), the color of it is orange-yellow, and the taste resembles peach and orange.

In the undergrowth of wet rainforests often encounter bananas. This is one of the most ancient cultural plants of the tropics. The genus of the banana contains several dozen species. Cultural species are bred due to delicious fruits. Some wild species Banana have edible fruits. In the USSR, the same type of banana is acclimatized.

TO tropical plants Cleanavine belongs - a tree with a height of up to 5 m. Castor oil is extracted from it. Kleshchenin does not endure frosts. It blooms in the first year of life. Soviet scientists found that Kleschin can be breeding as an annual herb plant. Its crops are busy now large squares in the Caucasus and Central Asia.

We also have a culture of a frying tree - subtropical plants. It is bred in the same way as an annual plant.

In tropical countries on marine coasts there are mangall vegetation. Mangrove thickets consist of shrubs or trees with a height of up to 30 m. During the tide, trees are poured sea water. Mangrove trees are developed "wounded", apparent roots that strengthen the trees in or soil. Some species have even respiratory roots (pneumatophores) growing from yals up and having special breathing holes in the upper part. These roots are needed by trees, as Il almost contains oxygen. Together with sea water in mangrove plants, many salts fall; To remove it on the leaves, special gigners are formed. Leaves are completely covered with salt crystals.

Winter forests also belong to the tropical type of vegetation. They are found in places of tropical belt, where expressed continental climate Or blow dry winds, periodically replacing with wet winds (monscons): on a number of the islands of the Stern archipelago (Timor, Kebal, the eastern part of Java), in Industan and Indocyte. Soils in these forests are red-brown and black.

Winter-green forests are mixed - from many species of trees or with a predominance of one wooded rock, in which the forest receives its name (for example, teak forests).

In Burma a lot mixed forests from valuable wood: Indian Pink Tree, Ost-Indian Sandalwood, White and Yellow Santalous Tree, Black Bombay and Ceylon Ebony Trees. Wood breeds are used as a building forest and various products. In the undergrowth of mixed forests there are bamboo and palm trees.

In Western gates, in the central part of Industan, between 16 and 24 ° C. sh., as well as in indochite teak forests. Tick \u200b\u200bis a large slender tree, up to 30-40 m of heights, with large leaves, which fall into the dry time of the year. Tika wood is highly durable and goes to the construction of ships.

Sal - wood up to 37 m of heights and up to 2 m in grip - also loses the leaves in dry time of the year.

For Central Africa, with its long-term droughts, they are characterized from small drought-resistant trees and shrubs. Acacia is especially common: whitish, Arab, umbrella, etc.

Savannah are plains with rare trees and high herbal vegetation. The name "Savannah" comes from the Spanish word "Saban", which means "wild, primitive plain". Grassy cover in savannah is very high, but not solid: the land is visible between the turfs of the plants. Colds prevail to 1 m, and sometimes even 3 m heights. Trees in Savannaps on a dry season throw leaves. The kidneys in the trees are very well protected from drying with kidney scales. Savannah somewhat reminds our forest-steppe. About Savannah We can say that this is a tropical type of forest-steppe. Soils in savannah red-brown and black.

Savannes occupy extensive areas in eastern parts tropical Africa, in South America, in Guiana and by r. Orinoco ( local name Savannan - "Llanos"), as well as in Brazil (local name - "Campos").

In the savannah drops a lot of precipitation - from 900 to 1500 mm per year: 2-3 times more than in our forest-steppe. But precipitation falls unevenly. The dry time north of the Equator continues from November to February, and to the south - from May to August.

Characteristic tree african savannah - Baobab. It reaches a height of 25 m ( medium height Our trees are pines and spruce), but it has an unusually thick trunk - up to 9.5 m in diameter. If 20 adolescents (14-16 years) will take hands and form a circle, then you can get a visual idea of \u200b\u200bthe thickness of the Baobab's trunk. Baobab lives up to 5 thousand years.

In Africa and South America there are palm savannah. They are characterized by separate palm trees or groups of palm trees scattered among high herbaceous cover. Eucalyptus grows in Australian savannas.

The vegetation of the globe is rich and diverse. Some types of plants from other countries are cultivated in the Soviet Union. However, the possibilities of using world flora are far from being exhausted.

When using natural vegetable cover knowledge of natural patterns, deep study as separate speciesand plant communities. All types of vegetation with which we got acquainted here are gradually moving one to another. There are no sharp boundaries between them. But in each individual location, certain conditions are created and a specific plant community is formed, having its own area. The boundaries of the area somewhat diverge with the boundaries of the conditions in which the plant community arose. This is explained by the fact that the resulting plant community, in turn, affects the environment and changes it.

All these questions are complex, but at the same time very interesting. It is necessary to learn how to better use the richest vegetation of the globe. On this path, sometimes there are insurmountable obstacles. For example, the cocoa tree loves heat and is already suffering at a temperature of + 15 °. Of course, it can be grown in special oranges, but it is very expensive. Scientists do not embarrass these difficulties. They work on the problem of creating artificial climates. Now we have only the laboratories of artificial climate; for further development Science and technology will be created by artificial climate in huge territories, and then the plant richness of the hot belt will be widely used for the benefit of all mankind.

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The most useful rainforest plants, exotic fruits, medicinal plants. Encyclopedia from 54 most interesting plant species that can be useful to man in a wet tropical forest. ATTENTION! All unfamiliar plants recommend counting by default to poisonous! Even those in which you are simply not sure. Wet tropical forests are the most vague ecosystem of our planet, and therefore here I collected only those plants that can somehow come in handy.

1) Coconut Palm

Sea coasts plant preferring sandy soils. In many useful substances: vitamins A, C and group B; Minerals: calcium, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, iron; Natural sugars, proteins, carbohydrates, oily oil, organic acids. Coconut milk is often used as an alternative to Piz. The solution for the large content of various salts and trace elements. Coconut milk will help you regulate the saline balance of the body.

• Coconut palm has a reputation for a strong aphrodisiac and normalizes the work reproductive system. Milk and the flesh of coconut well restores strength and improves eyesight;
• Improve work digestive system and liver;
• Normalize function thyroid gland;
• Relax muscles and help with joint problems;
• Increase immunity and resistance to various infections, reduce the adaptability of bacteria to antibiotics;
• The flesh and coconut oil, thanks to the composition of lauric acid included in their composition (this is the main fatty acid contained in breast milk), normalize cholesterol levels in the blood;
• Help the body with influenza and walled diseases, AIDS, diarrhea, deprive and gallbladder diseases
• Have anthelmal, antimicrobial, antiviral height of the action;
• Reduce the risk of atherosclerosis and other diseases of the cardiovascular system, as well as oncological diseases and degeneration processes.

ATTENTION! The drop of coconut on the head may be fatal! This is the cause of death of many people!

2) Banana

If you want to quickly restore the reduced energy level of your body - there is no better snack than a banana. Studies have proven that only two bananas provide energy sufficient for 1.5-hour energetic work. Good food ProductDue to the content of a large amount of carbohydrates, it can eat instead of the potatoes usual. It helps with many diseases such as anemia, ulcer, reduces pressure, improves mental abilities, helps with constipation, depressions, heartburn. Kinder helps to get rid of warts. One banana contains an average of 60-80 calories. The Banana includes such chemical elementslike iron, potassium, sodium, magnesium, phosphorus and calcium. I enee 2 banana during the day, you fulfill the need of the body in potassium and two-thirds in magnesium. In addition, the banana contains vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, E, PP. The ephedrine substance contained in the bananas with systematic use improves the activity of the central nervous systemand it directly affects overall performance, attention and mood.

3) Papaya

Papaya leaves, depending on their age, processing method and, actually, the recipe itself is used to reduce high blood pressure, renal infection, pain in the stomach and intestinal problems. Papaya fruits are used in the treatment of fungal diseases and a rings. Papaya's fruits and its leaves also contain alkaloid carpain, having anthelmal action, which in large doses can be dangerous. Papaya fruit not only in appearance, but also by chemical composition Very close to the melon. They contain glucose and fructose, organic acids, proteins, fiber, beta-carotene, vitamins C, B1, B2, B5 and D. Minerals are represented by potassium, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, iron.

4) mango

Mango normalizes the work of the intestine, two green mango on the day will be removed from diarrhea, constipation, hemorrhoids, and also prevent the stagnation of yellow and dismiss the liver. When using green fruits (1-2 per day), the elasticity of vessels is improved, due to the high content of iron in the fruits, mango is useful for anemia. And the high content of vitamin C makes it an excellent means of avitaminosis. When using more than two immature fruits per day, the appearance of colic, irritation of the mucous gastrointestinal tract and throat. Overbinding ripe fruit can lead to intestinal disorder, constipation, allergic reactions. Mango contains a large number of Vitamin C, group vitamins, as well as vitamins A, E, contains folic acid. Also, mango is rich in minerals, such as potassium, magnesium, zinc. Regular use of mango food strengthens immune system. Thanks to the content of vitamins C, E, as well as carotene and fiber, the use of mango helps to prevent the colon and rectum cancer, is the prevention of cancer and other organs. Mango is an excellent antidepressant, increases the mood, removes the nervous voltage.

RAINFORESTS

RAINFORESTS, dense forests with high tremble growing in hot wet zones In the area of \u200b\u200bthe equator. The main rainforests are in Africa, Central and South America and in Southeast Asia. They make up 50% of all forests on Earth, producing the largest amount of oxygen in the photosynthesis process. On tropical forests accounts for 40% of the entire flora and fauna of the Earth. Therefore, their destruction on a large scale (up to 20 million hectares per year) to obtain wood and under agricultural land is a serious problem today. The cutting of tropical forests also leads to a greenhouse effect and global warming. In these forests, a large number of types of broad-willed evergreen trees grow, sometimes reaching 60 m in height. Crowns of other trees, up to 45 m tall, form upper forest tier. Lower trees form the lower tier. Curly plants associate various levels among themselves, being the habitat of many species of birds, mammals and reptiles. Shorty herbate plants Grow out in small quantities, because to the foot of the trees penetrates little light. Tropical trees provide people with a variety of useful materials and food, such as Brazilian nuts, cashews, figs and mangoes, as well as fibrous droplets and medicine chinin and Kurara.

Scientific and Technical Encyclopedic Dictionary.

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