Summary Compare our temperate rainforest plants to those in a tropical rainforest, and find features they have in common. Science content Biology: Features, Adaptations of Living Things (K, 1, 3, 7) Lessons activity is in Tropical Rainforest Plants: comparison with our native plants Materials temperate rainforest to walk in clipboards and worksheet Procedure We live in a rainforest. What are differences between our rainforest and tropical? Look for plants that have similar features to tropical rainforest plants, using the worksheet: Find canopy, understory and forest floor layers Find living things of the forest floor: ferns, fungi, mosses (not all plants) Vines Drip tips Epiphytes Evergreen trees (conifer instead of broadleaf) Discussion: Review what they have found. Talk about how the soil is different between tropical and temperate rainforests: temperate rich compared to tropical rain forests (colder and more acidity from coniferous needles, so decomposition is much slower, and more of the nutrients are found in the soil). Attached documents rainforest_plant_features_worksheet.pdf Grades taught Gr 4
