Primary Rain Forest and Indian Myths - Liebe zur Erde

The primary rain forest is characterized by its enormous biodiversity. For example in the tapped water of a single bromeliad were counted 400 species of living organisms. On a few square meters area we found more different leaf types than we do on a hectare at home. Many species are protected here by their toxicity from consumption through animals - another reason why the rain forest is regarded as medicine cabinet by the natives - and in the meantime for several decades also by the scientists. The animals, which are limited in their diet because of the toxicity on only a few species have to back often long distances to meet their daily nutritional requirements, in spite of the many green lay. Usually a single tree is used as a type of elevator for a  number of other species to reach the light, because only a few percent of the daylight to come on earth. The trees are rooted only superficially into the soil because the humus layer is very thin and the supporting soil very old, so minerals washed out completely. This forms regular board roots on which the trees stand like on Christmas tree stands.
In the enormous biodiversity is the difference compared to the renewing secondary rain forest. The untrained eye travels along the Amazon river and thinks: it is green here - why all the crying because of deforestation. But the renewable specimes are then limited to a few. So where people settle and forest is being cut down because of the revenue, a massive species extinction is underway. Where large areas are cleared completely for timber or for cattle herds in Brazil, there will grow nothing more because the thin layer of soil is gone. These areas are also abound, they remain dead and some can even be seen on Google Maps.
The pictures in this slideshow are limited to plant life, about the animals is on the other pages.

Figure 1 The primary rain forest is characterized by an immense diversity of species - note the different sheets
Figure 2 This palm serves to a number of plants as a vehicle
Figure 3 There is not much light coming through
Figure 6 The tree roots are not deep and stand as Christmas tree on the thin layer of humus
Figure 7 The roots are used at night as a protection against wild animals - cougars supposedly always grab from the front

Figure 9 and there is water everywhere ...

Figure 11 A rather unfriendly symbiosis
Figure 12 is a termite nest
Figure 13 The bark of the tree China China served as antimalarials

Figure 15 A wandering tree: up to 2 meters, it can walk in a year - if it has space.
In figure 16 in the tree crowns are likely monkeys to find
Figure 17 The fruit of the kapok tree provide the wool, to equip the Indians with their arrows

Picture 19 Paths of the locals