Lesson video

Hello and welcome.

My name is Ms. Harrison.

I'm so excited to be learning with you today.

Today's lesson is "Plants and animal adaptations in the tropical rainforests." Grab everything that you might need for today's lesson and let's begin our learning.

By the end of today's lesson, you will understand how plants and animals in tropical rainforests are well adapted to the physical conditions.

Before we can begin this learning, we need to define the keywords that we'll be using throughout today's lesson.

Keywords in today's lesson are biodiversity, adaptations, and habitat.

Biodiversity, this is the variety of species found in a habitat.

Adaptations, this is a feature or behaviour that helps an animal or plant survive in its environment.

Habitat, this is the natural place where a plant or animal lives and grows.

Now that we've defined these keywords, we can begin our learning.

First question we're going to explore in today's lesson is, why is adaptation important? Tropical rainforests are some of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet.

Even though they cover only about 6% of Earth's land surface, they're home to about 10% of all known species.

But what's even more fascinating is that scientists believe we haven't discovered all the species yet.

Many insects, plants, and microorganisms remain unknown, and some experts estimate that up to half of the rainforest biodiversity is still undiscovered.

Why do you think the rainforest has so many different species compared to other biomes like deserts or grasslands? Pause the video here whilst you have a think and press play when you're ready to continue.

Great answer, the rainforest's warm temperatures, constant sunlight and high rainfall create the perfect conditions for life to thrive.

There is food and shelter everywhere, allowing a huge variety of animals and plants to thrive.

The incredible biodiversity of the rainforest is what makes it so important.

These ecosystems support global oxygen production, store carbon and provide resources that humans can rely on, such as medicine and food.

The high biodiversity in the rainforest plants is due to the constant warm temperatures and frequent rainfall in tropical rainforests, which create near-perfect conditions for plant growth.

There is fierce competition amongst the plants for light.

This is because the canopy layer captures almost all of the light.

In order to grow beneath the canopy layer, plants need special strategies known as adaptations.

Adaptations are the result of evolution, a process that takes place over many generations.

But how does evolution work and why do adaptations happen? Every individual in a species has slightly different traits due to genetic mutations.

These small differences can give some individuals a better chance of survival in their environment.

For example, an animal that is faster or better camouflaged may escape predators more easily.

These individuals are more likely to survive and reproduce.

When these animals reproduce, they pass on their slight advantage to their offspring.

Over time, these traits become more common in the population.

Over many generations, these small advantages spread throughout the species, becoming adaptations, traits that help the species to survive and thrive in their environment.

Adaptations are nature's way of fine-tuning species for survival, shaping them into the creatures that we see today.

The tropical rainforest has many challenges for survival for both plants and animals.

Human activity adds further challenges, especially when habitat is destroyed or altered significantly.

Some challenges are things like predators, heavy rainfall, food availability, and human activity like deforestation.

Plants and animal species have a wide range of adaptations that help them survive in the tropical rainforest and its many different habitats.

They have camouflage to hide from predators, strong beaks to break nuts, large leaves to capture more sunlight, and long tails for balance.

Which is the correct definition of an adaptation? Is it A, a change in how a plant or animal usually behaves, which helps it survive in its environment; B, inherited characteristics that improve a plant or animal's ability to survive in its environment; or C, a process where plants or animals migrate to a different environment to find food? Pause the video here whilst you attempt this task and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Excellent, the correct definition of adaptation is B.

Inherited characteristics that improve a plant or animal's ability to survive in its environment.

Well done if you managed to get that correct.

Some adaptations aren't just about one species surviving alone.

Some species become interdependent, meaning they rely on one another for their survival.

Take plants in the tropical rainforest, for example.

Many rely on specific species of insect or hummingbirds to pollinate their flowers.

Without these pollinators, plants wouldn't be able to reproduce.

In turn, the hummingbirds depend on the plants for nectar, which provides them with food.

If the plants didn't offer nectar, the hummingbird wouldn't have a food source.

Indigenous people living in the rainforest also rely on particular plants and animal species for food and resources, showing that we humans can also be interdependent.

What does it mean if plants and animals are interdependent? A, when animal species in different habitats have evolved similar adaptations.

B, when plants and animals can survive independently without needing each other.

Or C, when plants and animals rely on each other for survival, such as food or shelter.

Pause the video here whilst you attempt this task and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent, what it means if plants and animals are independent is C, when plants and animals rely on each other for survival, such as food or shelter.

Well done if you identified that correctly.

Which of the following are challenges that plants and animals face in the tropical rainforests? Is it A, intense competition for sunlight due to the dense canopy; B, too many predators because of low biodiversity; C, heavy rain causing flooding; or D, very cold nights that freeze plants? Pause the video whilst you identify the following challenges.

Press play to check your answers.

Well done, the following challenges are A, intense competition for sunlight due to the dense canopy, and C, heavy rain causing flooding, well done.

I would now like you to fill in the blanks using the words below.

This text is summarising what the challenges are that animals and plants face in the tropical rainforests and what it means to have an adaptation.

Pause the video here whilst you attempt this task and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Excellent, well done on this task.

Let's check our answers.

Your answers should read like this.

In the tropical rainforest, plants and animals face many challenges.

Through evolution, species have developed special features, known as adaptations, to help them survive.

These allow them to cope with threats like sources of food which are hard to access, low light conditions, and being hunted by predators.

Human activity can change and destroy habitats, which is particularly challenging for plants and animals that are closely adapted to them.

Well done if you managed to get all of those correct.

We're now going to explore the second question of our lesson.

How have animals adapted to the rainforest? Tropical rainforests are home to approximately 50% of the world's animal species, including iconic creatures like the poison arrow frog and orangutans, which contribute to the rich biodiversity of this ecosystem.

Many of these animals are now at risk of being endangered due to habitat loss, deforestation, and climate change.

Sloths live in the canopy layer of the rainforest, 20 to 30 metres above the forest floor.

The predators of sloth include harpy eagles.

Sloths have adapted in many ways.

They have green algae in their fur which camouflages them amongst the leaves of the canopy layer to protect them from any predators, long curved claws which help them to grip to tree branches securely, keeping them safe in 20 to 30 metres above the forest floor.

If they fell from there, it would be fatal.

The ability to digest leaves which are abundant in the canopy layer, so sloths are never short of food.

Leaves are low in nutrients, so sloths move slowly to conserve energy.

Which of these correctly describes an adaptation that helps sloths survive the challenges of the canopy layer? Is it A, longer legs and arms to help them walk on the forest floor; B, curved claws to defend against harpy eagles; C, green algae in their fur as camouflage against predators? Pause the video here whilst you attempt this task and press play when you're ready to check your answers.

Excellent, the answer is C, green algae in their fur as camouflage against predators, well done.

Poison arrow frogs are found on the forest floor, a dark and humid habitat with many animals that eat frogs.

They've adapted in many ways.

They have toxins in their skin to wear off predators; bright skin colours, warning predators that they're dangerous to eat; permeable with skin that can absorb moisture directly from the humid air; small and agile, which means they're able to climb quickly through the undergrowth and escape any predators; and they carry their tadpoles to plants called bromeliads which collect tiny pools of water raised above the forest floor.

Macaws are part of the parrot family and live in the canopy and emergent layers.

They have adapted by brightly coloured feathers which stand out against the dense canopy foliage so they can attract other mates.

They have a powerful beak that means macaws can crack really hard nuts and seeds that other animals may not be able to access.

And they have a loud call which is called a squawk that carries long distances so a flock of macaws can communicate in the dense canopy.

True or false? Animals are adapted for different habitats within the tropical rainforest.

Pause the video here whilst you attempt this task and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent, the answer is true.

I would now like you to explain why this answer is true.

Pause the video here whilst you attempt this and press play to check your answer.

Well done, the reason why this is true is because animals that live in the canopy layer, for example, have different adaptations from the animals that live on the forest floor because the challenges of the two habitats are very different.

Well done if you managed to explain that.

Which two of the following are examples of animal adaptations for the canopy? Is it A, strong claws to hang from branches; B, green camouflage to hide amongst dense leaves; and C, specialised skin that can absorb moisture from the air.

Pause the video here whilst you attempt this task and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent, the examples of animal adaptations for the canopy are A, strong claws to hang from branches, and B, green camouflage to hide amongst dense leaves.

Well done.

I would now like you to use examples to describe two adaptations that allow animals to survive challenges of living in the tropical rainforest canopy.

Make sure you say what challenge the adaptation helps with.

Jacob has said, "I know that sloths live in the canopy layer of the tropical rainforest and that being slow is one of their adaptations for surviving in the canopy." Pause the video here whilst you attempt this task and press play when you're ready to continue.

Your answer could include some of the following points.

It is very important that animals who live in the canopy layer do not fall from trees because it is 20 to 30 metres above the ground.

Sloths have long curved claws that enable them to hang securely from branches for long periods.

There are predators like harpy eagles that prey on animals in the canopy layer.

Some animals use camouflage to hide from these predators.

Sloths have green algae living in their fur which helps them stay undetected, and their slow movement also helps to keep them safe.

This is a really great answer because it's explained the challenge and how the adaptation helps with it.

I hope you managed to include some of these in your answers.

We're now going to explore our final question of today's lesson.

How have plants adapted to the rainforest? Nearly 2/3 of the world's plant species are found in the tropical rainforest.

These plants not only provide essential food and shelter for a number of different animals, but they also play a really important role by absorbing carbon dioxide.

It helps to regulate our climate and they also produce oxygen which is vital for life on Earth.

In the rainforest, plants face many challenges.

High humidity, little light, and fierce competition to make survival difficult.

But plants have special adaptations to help them overcome these challenges.

One major challenge is high humidity, which can cause mould to grow on the leaves.

This would prevent a plant from absorbing enough light for photosynthesis.

To combat this, plants have evolved drip tips, sharp pointed tips that allow rainwater to drain off quickly, preventing mould from forming and helping the plant to absorb light.

Another challenge is the lack of light in the understory and the forest floor.

With the canopy blocking most of the sunlight, plants here struggle to perform photosynthesis.

To capture as much light as possible, plants in these areas have large leaves.

These leaves are like solar panels, collecting every available ray of sunlight to help with photosynthesis.

Rainforest plants face tough conditions, but their amazing adaptations, the drip tips and large leaves, help them survive and thrive in one of the most competitive environments on Earth.

Trees in the emergent layer can grow as tall as 50 metres high, but rainforest soils are shallow with nutrients being near the surface.

Trees need shallow roots to access the nutrients, but their great height means that they need a very stable base to protect them against the strong winds.

They have adapted by having buttress roots.

These are wide, flared roots at the base of the rainforest trees, like you can see in the image on your screen.

They provide stability and support for tall trees while they still allow the tree to absorb all the nutrients from the very shallow soil.

Which of the following is the main function of buttress roots in the rainforest trees? Is it A, to help trees absorb water from the air; B, to provide stability and support; or C, to store energy for the tree during dry seasons? Pause the video here whilst you attempt this task and press play when you're ready to continue.

Well done, the main function of the buttress roots in rainforest trees is B, to provide stability and support.

Well done if you identified that correctly.

Trees access light in the rainforest by growing really, really tall, but this takes a large amount of energy.

Lianas are vines that are rooted in the ground but they climb up tree trunks to access sunlight in the canopy.

This adaptation means lianas can reach sunlight in the canopy layer without having to grow a thick trunk and stabilising roots.

They grow so quickly that they out-compete trees in the race to get sunlight.

Epiphytes grow in tree branches in the canopy.

They do not have roots in the soil of the forest floor at all.

Many epiphytes can absorb water from the air but they also have a structure to store water, and they absorb nutrients from decomposing matter such as leaves that they collect on the tree from around them.

This way, epiphytes can access sunlight without having to compete with all the other plants growing on the forest floor.

A really clever adaptation.

True or false? All plants have to grow up from the forest floor to reach the sunlight.

Pause the video whilst you decide if the statement is true or false and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

I would now like you to explain why the statement is false.

Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Well done, the reason why this statement is false is because epiphytes do not have roots in the forest floor, as they're adapted to grow on tree branches in the canopy layer, and they obtain their nutrients from the air and from decomposing material that collects around them.

Well done if you managed to explain that correctly.

How are lianas adapted to survive in the tropical rainforest? Is it A, they grow thick leaves to store water during dry seasons; B, they produce deep roots to absorb nutrients from poor soil; C, they climb tall trees to reach sunlight in the dense canopy; or D, they grow slowly to avoid being eaten by herbivores? Pause the video here whilst you decide and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Well done, the answer is C.

They climb tall trees to reach sunlight in the dense canopy.

These two photos show two rainforest plant adaptations.

I would like you to identify each adaptation and explain how they help plants to survive in the rainforest environment.

Pause the video here whilst you attempt this task and press play when you're ready to continue.

Well done on this task, let's check our answers.

Your answer could have included the following points.

Photo A shows drip tips, which are pointed ends on the leaves that allow excess rainwater to drip off.

Rainforests are very humid and mould grows very quickly on wet surfaces.

Drip tips prevent water from collecting on leaves, reducing the risk of mould, so the leaf can keep absorbing sunlight.

Photo B shows plants with large leaves.

This plant is on the forest floor where there is very little light.

Large leaves allow the plant to capture as much sunlight as possible, which plants need for photosynthesis.

Well done in this task.

Fantastic, we've come to the end of our lesson on "Plant and animal adaptations in the tropical rainforests." You've done brilliantly.

But before we go, let's summarise everything that we've learned in today's lesson.

The tropical rainforest is a biodiversity hotspot, home to 50% of the world's plants and animal species.

The variety of life here is unmatched.

But living in the rainforest isn't easy.

Plants and animals have evolved special adaptations to survive in this unique environment.

Plants in the rainforest have incredible adaptations.

Many have large leaves to capture as much sunlight as possible in the low light conditions beneath the canopy.

Others have drip tip leaves that allow rainwater to run off quickly, preventing mould from growing on them and helping them stay healthy.

Animals that live in the canopy layer are specifically adapted to life in the trees.

Their strong limbs and claws help them to climb while some of them even have the ability to glide or leap between branches, making it easier to find food and escape predators.

On the forest floor, life is much different.

The low light and high number of predators make survival a challenge.

Some animals have developed keen senses to detect danger, while others are camouflaged to blend into their surroundings, making them nearly invisible.

The rainforest is a place of constant challenge, but thanks to their amazing adaptations, both plants and animals can survive and thrive in one of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth.

Well done in today's lesson, you've done brilliantly.

I look forward to learning with you again very soon.