Rainforest Biodiversity
Understand that rainforests are biodiversity hotspots, covering just 6% of Earth's land surface but containing over 50% of all known plant and animal species, and that this extraordinary richness makes them irreplaceable for global biodiversity and a priority for conservation
What a learner can do afterwards
- State that rainforests cover about 6% of Earth's land but hold over 50% of all species
- Explain why this concentration of species makes rainforests a conservation priority
- Give specific examples of rainforest biodiversity, such as one hectare containing more tree species than all of northern Europe
1 · Read
You already know how to sort rainforest animals into groups like mammals and birds. Rainforests cover only about 6 out of every 100 parts of land on Earth, but they hold more than half of all the kinds of plants and animals scientists have found. A short walk there can show you more new life than a walk almost anywhere else.
Picture a patch of rainforest about the size of one soccer field, called a hectare. Scientists have counted more different kinds of trees growing in that one hectare than exist in all of northern Europe put together. Take a short walk through a rainforest and you could pass hundreds of tree types you would never see anywhere else.
This is why rainforests matter so much for protecting nature. So many species live only in rainforests that losing this habitat would mean losing plants and animals found nowhere else on Earth.
Rainforests cover just 6% of Earth's land but hold over half of all its species, which is why protecting them is such a high priority.
More to read
Key points: Terrestrial biomes
A biome is a big community of plants and animals that live in a certain kind of climate. Many biomes are on land, and each one is shaped by how warm it is and how much rain falls there. Tropical rainforests grow near the equator, where it stays warm and rainy all year long. Because of this warm, wet weather, plants can grow all year, and that means there is food and shelter for a huge number of animals too. That is why tropical rainforests hold more kinds of living things than almost any other place on land. Rainforests cover only a small part of Earth, about 6 percent of the land, but more than half of all known plant and animal species live there.
Activities: biodiversity and ecosystem function
Go outside and pick a small area, like your backyard or a corner of a park. Count how many different kinds of plants, animals, and fungi you can find there. You do not need to count tiny things like microbes, just the living things you can see. The number of different kinds you find is called species richness. Scientists use species richness to compare places. A rainforest has very high species richness, which means you would find far more kinds of living things there than in most other places. Trying this activity helps you see why a single small piece of rainforest can hold more tree species than a whole region like northern Europe.
Endangered Animals and Number Sense Lesson
In this lesson, students use numbers like 1,000, 100, or 20 to compare how many species are extinct, endangered, or vulnerable. Comparing the numbers helps you see how serious species loss really is. When so many species live in one place, like a rainforest, losing that habitat puts a huge number of them in danger at the same time. That is one big reason rainforests are a top priority for conservation. The lesson also asks students to think about what people can do to help protect animals and plants, so that the numbers of endangered species can stop growing.
How to Protect Forests: 12 Things You Can Do
Forests cover about one third of all land on Earth, and they are full of life. They give animals and plants a home, clean the air, and provide water and useful materials for people. Because forests like rainforests hold so many species, protecting them protects more living things at once than protecting almost anywhere else. There are simple things anyone can do to help. You can recycle paper so fewer trees need to be cut down. You can reuse things instead of throwing them away. You can learn about where products come from and choose ones that do not harm forests. Small everyday choices add up and help keep forests and their amazing wildlife safe.
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Optional connections
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Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.