Butterflies and Moths - PedagoNet

Teacher InformationTropical rainforests are home to such diversity for several reasons. The first is that overthe past 100 million years, lands near the equator remained fairly undisturbed by sea levelchange, climate change, or glaciation. This allowed many different animals and plants toevolve over long periods of time. Because there are no seasons along the equator, onlyconstant high temperatures, lots of humidity and rainfall, and intense sunlight, conditionsare perfect for the growth of thousands of plant species. Diverse rainforest plants providehighly varied resources for animal life, and have evolved into thousands of species.Butterfly and moth species live at specific heights in the rainforest. In a typical rainforestthere are at least 4 layers or strata:1) Ground layer or Forest Floor- herbs, ferns, and low shrubs2) Understory layer- shade-tolerant small trees, mosses, lichens, ferns3) Canopy layer- tops of tall trees, as many as 400 species per square mile4) Emergent layer- extraordinarily tall species that rise above the canopy layer.Most Lepidoptera species rarely leave a familiar environment. Some live hundreds of feethigh in the rainforest canopy, while others fly close to the ground or rest in leaf litter. Eachis adapted to a certain temperature, humidity, and light range, and stays at its favoritestrata.Florida Museum of Natural History http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu 5