亚马逊热带雨林生物多样性及其重要性课件

1、Amazon Rainforest亚马逊雨林生物多样性 及对于地球的重要性biodiversity and global importanceThe Amazon RiverLife force of the Amazon rainforestBegins as a trickle in the Andes mountains and flows more than 6400km and enters the Atlantic Ocean at Belem, Brazil where it is 480 km wide.It is still 11.2 km wide 1600 km inla

2、nd.It is deep enough for Ocean Liners to travel over 4000 km inland.The Amazon RiverThe Amazon RiverThe Amazon RiverThere are thousands of kilometers of navigable waters throughout the Amazon and its tributaries.Carries massive quantities of silt which travels as runoff from the forest floorSilt is

3、deposited at the mouth of the Amazon creating the largest river island in the world Marajo Island (same size as Switzerland)The Amazon RiverThe Amazon RiverThe Amazon RiverMore than 2,000 species of fish exist in the Amazon River, which is more than what exists in the Atlantic Ocean.The Amazon River

4、The “Lungs of our Planet”Amazon Rainforest Encompasses areas in Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, Suriname, Guyana, Bolivia, and French Guinea. The “Lungs of our Planet”The “Lungs of our Planet”If the Amazon was a country it would be the 9th largest country on the planet (1.2 billion ac

5、res or 48 million football fields).It represents 54% of all rainforests on the earth.20% of all oxygen is provided here. The “Lungs of our Planet”The “Lungs of our Planet”Lets imagine a football field.Biodiversity in the Amazon1 football field (1 acre) can contain 900 tons (1,800,000 lbs) of living

6、plants, including more than 750 species of trees and 1500 other species of plants.There are less than 750 species of trees in all North America.One tree in Peru was found to have 43 different species of ants a total that equals the number of ant species of the U.K. BiodiversityBiodiversityScientists

7、 have a better understanding of the number of stars than they have of the number of species there are on Earth.Estimates vary from 2 -100 million species with the best estimate of 10 million. 1.4 million have been named. 1/5 of all birds are found in the Amazon.BiodiversityLess than 1% of plant spec

8、ies have been studied for possible uses.121 prescription drugs currently sold worldwide come from plant sources.U.S. National Cancer Center have identified 3000 plants that are active against cancer cells. 70% are found in the Rainforest, and 25% are ONLY found in the Rainforest. BiodiversityWatch p

9、art of Planet Earths “Jungles” List some examples of unique fauna (animal) diversity. List some examples of unique flora (plant) diversity.Time Lapse photography shows plant growth in an “open” area. Why is the Rainforest so productive? FoodAt least 3000 fruits are found in the rainforests; of these

10、 only 200 are now in use in the Western World. The Indians of the rainforest use over 2,000.Food80% of the developed worlds diet originated in the tropical rainforestavocados, coconuts, figs, oranges, lemons, grapefruit, bananas, guavas, pineapples, mangos and tomatoes; vegetables including corn, po

11、tatoes, rice, winter squash and yams; spices like black pepper, cayenne, chocolate, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, sugar cane, tumeric, coffee and vanilla and nuts including Brazil nuts and cashews.Indigenous PeopleThere were an estimated ten million Indians living in the Amazonian Rainforest five centur

12、ies ago. Today there are less than 200,000.In Brazil alone, European colonists have destroyed more than 90 indigenous tribes since the 1900s.With them have gone centuries of accumulated knowledge of the medicinal value of rainforest species.Rainforest Loss1-1 1/2 acres of rainforest are lost every s

13、econd. Thats 1 football field/s (1800/hr, 43,200/day).Some estimates say that we are losing 137 plant, animal and insect species every single day due to rainforest deforestation. That equates to 50,000 species a year.Rainforest LossMassive deforestation causes; - air and water pollution - soil erosion - release of carbon dioxide - loss of indigenous cultures - loss of biodiversity and speciesSome estimates are that 1.5 football fields (1.5 acres) of Rainforest are lost every secon