TROPICAL RAIN FOREST

What makes a Tropical Rain Forest a unique habitat?

The tropical rainforests are home to more species than all other biomes combined. The leafy tops of tall trees-extending from 50 to 80 meters above the forest floor-forms an understory. Organic matter that falls to the forest floor quickly decomposes, and the nutrients are recycled.

Rainforests are characterized by high rainfall. This often results in poor soils due to leaching of soluble nutrients. Rapid bacterial decay prevents the accumulation of humus. The concentration of iron and aluminium oxides gives the soil a bright red color and sometimes produces mineral deposits. On younger substrates, especially of volcanic origin, tropical soils may be quite fertile, as are the soils of many seasonally flooded forests, which are annually replenished with fertile silt.

Rainforests are home to two-thirds of all the living animal and plant species on the planet. It has been estimated that many hundreds of millions of new species of plants, insects, and microorganisms are still undiscovered and as yet unnamed by science. Tropical rainforests are also often called the "Earth's lungs", however there is no scientific basis for such a claim as tropical rainforests are known to be essentially oxygen neutral, with little or no net oxygen production.

Tall, broad-leaved evergreen trees are the dominant plants, forming a leafy canopy over the forest floor. Taller trees, called emergents, may rise above the canopy. The upper portion of the canopy often supports a rich flora of epiphytes, including orchids, bromeliads, mosses, and lichens, who live attached to the branches of trees. The undergrowth or understory in a rain forest is often restricted by the lack of sunlight at ground level, and generally consists of shade-tolerant shrubs, herbs, ferns, small trees, and large woody vines which climb into the trees to capture sunlight. The relatively sparse under story vegetation makes it possible for people and other animals to walk through the forest. In deciduous and semi-deciduous forests, or forests where the canopy is disturbed for some reason, the ground beneath is soon colonized by a dense tangled growth of vines, shrubs and small trees called jungle.

The rainforest is divided into five different parts, each with different plants and animals, adapted for life in the particular area. These are: the floor layer, the shrub layer, the understory layer, the canopy layer and the emergent layer. Only the emergent layer is unique to tropical rainforests, while the others are also found in temperate rainforests.

The emergent layer contains a small number of very large trees which grow above the general canopy, reaching heights of 45-55 m, although on occasion a few species will grow to 70 m or 80 m tall. They need to be able to withstand the hot temperatures and strong winds. Eagles, butterflies, bats and certain monkeys inhabit this layer.

What kind of animals can be found there?

The many layers of the rain forest can support all sorts of life. As a result, many rare and exotic animals are found in this habitat. Witness interesting animals like the Bonobo, the Clouded Leopard and the Hornbill.

Would you like to know more about the Tropical Rain Forest inhabitants?

Alligator   Bat   Bee   Beetle   Binturong   Bird_of_Paradise   Boa   Bonobo   Butterfly   Caecilian   Cassowary   Chameleon   Chimpanzee   Clouded_Leopard   Cockatoo   Crocodile   Dhole   Elephant   Frog   Gharial   Giant_Anteater   Gorilla   Guenon   Harpy_Eagle   Hornbill   Hummingbird   Iguana   Jaguar   Kangaroo   Kingfisher   Kinkajou   Leopard   Lizard   Macaw   Mandrill   Mangabey   Mantella   Monkey   Newt   Ocelot   Okapi   Orangutan   Owl   Peafowl   Poison_Frog   Porcupine   Pygmy_Chimpanzee   Python   Red-tailed_Hawk   Rhinoceros   Salamander   Scorpion   Siamang   Small_Cat   Snake   Spectacled_Bear   Spider   Stick_Insect   Stork   Striped_Hyena   Sun_Bear   Tamandua   Tapir   Tarantula   Tiger   Toad   Tortoise   Turtle   Wallaby   Wild_Cattle   Wild_Swine