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Rainforest words
Adapt
Biodiversity
Biome
- Become adjusted to new conditions.
- The variety of plant and animal life in the world or a particular place. The higher the level of variety, the healthier the environment is.
- A large, naturally occurring community of flora and fauna that occupy a distinct region. E.g. forest, desert, rainforest.

Buttress roots
Canopy
Climate
- Are large roots that extend from the trunk above ground level to support the tree. In rainforests, they are found on the tallest emergent trees.
- The uppermost branches of the trees in a forest, forming a more or less continuous layer of foliage.
- A region with a particular climate.
Commercial
farming
Deforestation
Drip tips
Ecosystem
- Farming where the main product is grown for sale and profit. Often involving large scale farms and advanced technology.
- The clearing of trees, transforming a forest into cleared land. This can be down by chopping down trees for lumber or burning down the trees.
- A long point of a leaf common in regions where the rainfall is heavy, which serves to drain off the water rapidly.
- A biological community of interacting plants and animals that are dependent upon each other and their physical environment.
- A tree that emerges from the canopy layer. The tallest trees in the rainforest.
- A species of animal or plant that is seriously at risk of extinction.
- A climatic region found on or close to the equator. It is wet and hot throughout the year and the rain is heavy and frequent. It does not have a dry season.
- Plants that retain leaves throughout the year are called evergreen.
Emergents
Endangered
Equatorial climate
Evergreen

Extinction
Hardwoods
Lianas
Logging
Monsoon
Overgrazing
- When plants or animals become extinct, there are no more left on earth.
The species is no longer able to reproduce. The fossil records tell us that 99.9% of all species are now extinct.
- The wood from a broadleaf tree like an oak, ash or beech. As distinguished from softwoods which come from conifers. They typically take longer to grow and are thus not economical to farm.
- A wood climbing plant that hangs from trees. It can grow without having roots in the soil.
- The activity of cutting down trees and preparing the wood for business.
- A wind in South East Asia that brings prolonged periods of heavy rain.
- Land that is so heavily grazed by animals, that the vegetation does not have sufficient time to recover and the soil becomes damaged and is liable to increased soil erosion.
10 animals that might go extinct
in the next ten years.
Want to know what monsoon rain is like? Here is a video showing 11 minutes of monsoon rain. You can find anything on the internet these days!



Photosynthesis
Plantations
Silt
Soil erosion
Subsistence farming
- The process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to get nutrients from carbon dioxide and water. It generates oxygen as a by-product.
- An estate on which large areas are devoted to the growing of one crop, for example: coffee, sugar, tea, palm oil etc.
- Silt is a fine sand/clay that is deposited by running water, a process which is increased during periods of flooding.
- The wearing away of the top soil. The top soil takes hundreds of years to develop and is the most fertile layer of soil as it contains the most organic nutrients. It is often worn away by rainfall but can be worn away by wind.
- Farming that provides enough food for the family of the farmer.
Temperate rainforest
Tropical rainforest
Undergrowth
Understory
- Rainforest that grows in a climate that is not hot all year round but does have prolonged periods of heavy rain.
- A tropical rainforest is a climatic region that grows on or near to the equator. It is characterized by having hot temperatures all year round and heavy rainfall throughout the year.
- A dense growth of shrubs and other plants, especially under trees in a woodland area.
- A tangle of shrubs, young trees and woody plants that can grow in the shade of the taller trees.

RAINFOREST WORDS - ILLUSTRATED
This bank of rainforest words comes complete with definitions and illustrations to help you learn all about the geography topic of rainforests and climates. From lianas and biomes to buttress roots and overgrazing, this page explains them all in easy to understand terms. And for added clarity, there are many illustrations to help your understanding further.
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