Page 54 - The Error of the Evolution of Species

The Error of the Evolution
of Species

set foot in the rain forests of South America were astonished

by the variety of life they encountered. Each new study
again revealed the diversity of plant and animal species.
A rain forest in the tropical belt has very different char-
acteristics from those of other forests. For one thing, under-
neath the very tall trees 50 meters (164 feet) high, there are
medium-sized ones, such as palm, cedar, mahogany and
figs. The trunks and branches of these are covered in bright

orchids, cacti, ferns and mosses. The lowest layer in the for-
est, the grass layer, consists of a dense vegetation covering
and hosts a great variety of insect, bacteria and fungi
species. In short, a rain forest's most characteristic feature is
the variety of life that so amazes us.
Rain forests comprise just 7% of the land surface, yet
contain more than 50% of the plant and animal species on
Earth. Researchers also state that this last percentage may
change as we learn more about biodiversity. The well-

known Smithsonian Institute researcher Thomas Lovejoy
makes a very apposite state-
ment: "The larger point is that
the more people look at the
tropical forest in different ways, as
Terry Erwin has done, the more bio-
diversity there seems to be." 41

So that you can envision the diver-

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