IT´S ALL GREEK, I MEAN GREEN, TO ME!
Green of one shade or another is certainly the dominant color in the rainforest due to the chlorophyll used by most plants for photosynthesis, so when our eye comes across another color it is immediately drawn to it.
This is often the case for the creatures of the rainforest too, from nectar and pollen-seeking bees, birds and bats attracted by the reds, oranges and whites of blossoms, to birds, monkeys and rodents encountering red, orange and purplish seeds and fruits still on the tree or dropped to the ground.
These flowers, fruits and seeds are meant to draw attention in order to be pollinated or swallowed and later deposited far from the parent, the combination of bright colors and nutritional food ensuring that the requisite animal helper shows up on time. Many birds (usually only the males) have bright colors to aid in attracting partners, and some beetles use bioluminescence to send signals to prospective mates, a risky but ultimately satisfying strategy.
However, there are a number of plants and animals that use bright colors, especially the color red, to make another kind of statement: Beware! The aposomatic, or warning, coloration of certain snakes, frogs, butterflies, beetles and caterpillars, as well as of some mushrooms, is used to let would-be predators know that it may be their last supper because this colorful snack is full of toxins. And then there are those sneaky critters that are perfectly tasty but in effect parasitize the truly poisonous by mimicking their coloration and thus avoiding consumption.
Finally, there are those plants that use the color red or purple in their leaves or roots in order not to draw attention to themselves as they are young and/or defenseless, most herbivorous animals having the mental image that "green" equals "food".
As the name implies, the Amazon rainforest gets a lot of rain, essential for its growth and ultimately for the exceptional level of biodiversity. Biodiversity is often defined by ecologists as the "totality of genes, species, and ecosystems of a region", i.e.,
