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Rainforest
Rainforests, or rain forests, are forests characterized by high
rainfall, with definitions setting minimum normal annual rainfall between 1750
mm and 2000 mm (68 inches to 78 inches).
Rainforests are home to two
thirds of all the living animal and plant species on the planet. It has been
estimated that many hundreds of millions of new species of plants, insects and
microorganisms are still undiscovered. Tropical rain forests are called the
"jewels of the earth", and the "world's largest pharmacy" because of the large
number of natural medicines discovered there. Tropical rain forests are also
often called the "Earth's lungs", however there is no scientific basis for such
a claim as tropical rainforests are known to be essentially oxygen neutral,
with little or no net oxygen production.
The undergrowth in a rainforest
is restricted in many areas by the lack of sunlight at ground level. This makes
it possible for people and other animals to walk through the forest. If the
leaf canopy is destroyed or thinned for any reason, the ground beneath is soon
colonized by a dense tangled growth of vines, shrubs and small trees called
jungle.
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