19. Topic: Amazon Rainforest
From: http://mrnussbaum.com/sand-dollar-reading-comprehension/
Date: 2014, November 4
The Amazon is the world's largest
tropical rainforest.
It covers an area of nearly 2.8 million square miles,
which is nearly the size of the continent of Australia. The Amazon Rainforest
gets its life from the majestic Amazon River, the world's second largest river,
which runs directly through the heart of the region. The rainforest itself is
simply the drainage basin for the river and its many tributaries.
The vast
forest itself consists of four layers, each featuring its own ecosystems and
specially adapted plants and animals.
The forest floor is the lowest region. Since only two percent of the sunlight filters through the top layers to the understory, very few plants grow here.
The forest floor is the lowest region. Since only two percent of the sunlight filters through the top layers to the understory, very few plants grow here.
The forest floor, however, is rich with rotting
vegetation and the bodies of dead organisms, which are quickly broken down into
nutrients integrated into the soil. Tree roots stay close to these available
nutrients and decomposers such as millipedes and earthworms use these nutrients
for food.
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