Amazon Rainforest Research Paper

I saw the light filtering in from the trees, making them sparkle. The greenest greens I had ever seen were glowing in the trees and underbrush. Then I looked down, and saw the millions of insects swarming in a frenzy like a cloud, the menacing jaguar stared at me, nearly licking his chops, I knew then that I was most likely going to die. Stretching before me was the Amazon Rainforest. This extreme environment, the Amazon, is not an online store, at least not in this case. In fact, the Amazon is the largest rainforest in the world. It is roughly the size of the 48 consecutive United States (according to Mongabay). This extreme location is caused primarily due to weather and air masses. As a result, this has created a thriving ecosystem rich

They say that there are even some undiscovered species hiding in there, maybe one could help us cure cancer. According to Treehugger, “The Amazon Rainforest, one of the largest and most diverse ecosystem on the planet, has been a virtual treasure-trove for ambitious biologists aiming to uncover new species,” (Stephen Messenger, Amazon Rainforest teeming with Life). The Amazon consists of different layers because of the amount of sunlight and water each plant needs. Large trees create a layer of leaves blocking most of the sunlight from filtering in. There is a variety of underbrush and plants that require water but not a lot of sun. These plants cover the entirety of the forest floor, making it hard for discovery of new species in the thicket. Furthermore, the Amazon River floods, rejuvenating plants and helping them to flourish. The Amazon River is the second largest river, next to the Nile in Africa. Running through the center of the Amazon Rainforest, it provides irrigation to plants along it. It floods annually during the monsoon season, giving nutrition to the undergrowth and trees. Now, of course with all these plants to feed off of, there are going to be some animals and insects. According to World Atlas, the Amazon Rainforest is, “Home to 427 mammals… 1,300 birds… 378 reptiles… and more than 400 amphibians.” (World Atlas,What Animals Live In The Amazon

Here’s the science behind it, the Amazon helps us to regulate the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, so the Amazon is helping with the global warming problem. The forest absorbs more carbon than it lets out. In fact, every year, according to the “Amazon Rainforest Breathes In More Than It Breathes Out” web page, “Dead Amazonian trees emit an estimated 1.9 billion tons… of carbon to the atmosphere each year… Amazon Rainforest absorbs about 2.2 billion tons,”(according to WWF International,Amazon Rainforest Breathes In More Than It Breathes Out). So, the trees release the carbon they absorb back into the air when they die. Therefore, a big problem we have now is deforestation of the Amazon. People harm this environment and this affects our climate. People illegally cut down trees in the Amazon, harming the economy. The influence of the Amazon is so great that there is even a preservation law to prevent deforestation in Brazil (according to WWF International). As you can see, people are worried about our Amazon Rainforest and are trying to preserve it as best they can to further help our