El Yunque

Pictures!!   

         Here you will see pictures, with descriptions, of objects you may encounter in El Yunque. Enjoy the pictures!!

 Erosion

       Erosion is the wearing away of the earth's surface by any natural process. The main cause of erosion is running water but glaciers, the wind, and wavers that are breaking against the coast also cause erosion.

          In El Yunque, mostly along the trails, you can see that erosion has taken place. In the picture you can see that the soil behind these plants has been eroded into the shape it is now.    

Drip Tip

         A Drip Tip is the long, sharply-pointed tip on rainforest leaves that helps the leaf get rid of excess water easily. In fact many plants in the rainforest have Dip Tips. Without the Drip Tip, water would build up on the leave.

Epiphytes

          Epiphytes, also known as air plants, are plants that live attached to a structure such as a tree or a telephone pole, meaning they don’t grow from the ground. Epiphytes are not parasites because they get water and nutrients from the air, not from their host.

          In El Yunque you will find many Epiphytes on trees or on the side of the trail. Most epiphytes are orchids and bromeliads, so if you see an orchid or a bromeliad in El Yunque, you have seen an epiphyte.  

                                                      Picture taken by: Marcel Burkhard

 Shallow Root Systems

         A Shallow Root System is when the roots of a tree are not deep into the ground, but barely into the ground. A tree creates a shallow root system because it can find all the nutrients it needs near the surface and just needs to anchor itself to the ground for it to be able to grow.

          In El Yunque many of the trees have shallow roots.  You can see these roots along the trails, were some of the soil beneath the roots has eroded.

           Picture taken by: http://www.the-engelberts.com/World_Trip/Australia/Cairns/cairns.html

 Vines

       Vines are weak-stemmed plants that get their support from climbing, twining, or creeping along a surface. Vines are always curled around a surface and are very hard to remove.

          In El   Yunque, you will find many vines wrapped around trees. Be careful though, there are also many Lianas and you don’t want to get confused between the two of them.   

                       Picture taken by: http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/images/leverettl/2005/10/31/tree_vines.jpg

 Lianas

                A liana is a woody, climbing tropical plant (similar to vines) that can reach to as high as the tree canopy in the rain forest. Lianas usually hang from trees and are very strong. Remember in the movie Tarzan were Tarzan would grab a “vine” to swing from one tree to the other, actually those were lianas.

          In El Yunque you can find many lianas around trees. Be careful though, you don’t want to confuse a liana for a vine.

 Water System  

             A water system is a river with all its tributaries. Pretty simple, right? Well, these water systems have lots of water that we all depend on. Water systems are very important to everybody and everything.

          In El Yunque there is a huge river that has many waterfalls and lakes. Along the different trails you can see that this system is beautiful. In some lakes and waterfalls you can even swim in. Have Fun!!!