The Rainforest Answers

By collecting rainwater in their leaves, bromeliads create mini-ecosystems that house other small animals. When they die, these organisms decompose and the bromeliad benefits from the nutrients. Pitcher plants, meanwhile, actively trap insects and other small animals in their pitchers. The bromeliads are an example of mutualism while pitcher plants are predators.

Leaf-cutter ants gather pieces of leaves and store them in their nests to provide raw materials and food for the fungus that grows on the leaf pieces. The ants feed on the fungus, so by collecting leaves the ants are effectively able to grow their own food supply.

Sloths are so slow moving that algae is able to grow symbiotically in their fur. This algae can be licked out of the sloth’s fur to provide it with nourishment.

More than half of the 3,000 plants that the National Cancer Institute has identified with potential cancer-fighting properties are found in rainforests, but less than 1% of the plants in the tropical rainforests have been tested for their medicinal properties. This means that potentially more than a hundred thousand plants with anti-cancer properties are out in tropical rainforests waiting to be tested. But if the plants go extinct before they are even tested, many potential drugs could be lost forever before they are even discovered.

As the highest layer of the tropical rainforest, the canopy has the greatest access to water and sunlight. This means that the canopy has the greatest access to the resources needed to support animal and plant life and makes it the greatest repository of biodiversity in the tropical rainforest.