Tropical Rainforest Biome

One of the most incredible biomes on earth is the tropical rainforest. The hot and wet climate make it possible for many amazing and unique creatures to thrive. Although it covers only a small portion of the Earth’s surface, the tropical rainforest contains half of the world's plant and animal species. It is truly one of nature's most amazing biome.

The tropical rainforests have an abundance of plants and animals. Covering less than 6% of the earth's surface, tropical rainforests are only found near the equator.(1?) They can be located in central America, Africa and Indo-Malaysia.(1) The tropical rainforests are warm year round with temperatures averaging between 68 degrees and 93 degrees fahrenheit. (1) There is a large amount of rainfall

each year. The average rainfall in the tropical rainforests is between 50 and 260 inches.

It often rains over 100 inches however there is usually a season of less rain. The average humidity is between 77% and 88%. The rainforest is made up of four levels. The top level is the emergent. (3) This is the tops of the highest trees where the branches are spread far apart. (1) The emergent layer is high up and in direct contact with the sunlight, making it very hot and windy. (3) The next level is the canopy. (1) The canopy is very dense and receives lots of water from the frequent rain showers. It has the most animal activity. (3) The level below the canopy is the understory. (3) Because it receives very little sunlight, the understory is cool and shady. (3) The forest floor is the level below the canopy. (3) It also receives very little sunlight and has very few plants. (3) It is home to some of the largest as well as some of the smallest creatures of the tropical

rainforest. (3) Despite what many may think, the soil of the tropical rainforests is not rich with nutrients. Instead, the soil is shallow and contains very little nutrients. (1). Due to the heavy rainfall, large amounts of nutrients in the soil is washed away creating a thin layer. (3) Plants and animals still have the ability to survive in these conditions.
Tropical rainforests contain a wide variety of both plant and animal life. Many of the animals have special adaptations which allow them to thrive in the tropical rainforests. The tree sloth is the world's slowest moving animal. (2) This primary consumer eats only leaves which provides very little energy. (3) It also digests its food slowly so it does not require many resources. (2) Algae grows on the fur of the tree sloth making a camouflage for protection. (2) There are many other plant eaters living in the tropical rainforests including toucans, which have long narrow beaks which allow them to reach fruit, and parrots, which have sturdy bills that allow them to crack open nuts. (2) The rainforests also contain many interesting insects. One example of the many amazing insects would be the blue morpho butterfly.(3) This primary consumer thrives in the rainforest by eating rotting fruit which falls from the many fruit producing trees. (4) One thing that makes the blue morpho butterfly so unique is its bright blue wings.(3) The dazzling wings have eyespots which can confuse or scare potential predators allowing the insect to escape danger. (3) Another of the many amazing insects is the leaf cutter ant. (3) The leaf cutter ants are equipped with sharp jaws which are used to cut leaves. (3) These primary consumers bring these leaves into an underground nest and bury them. (3) The leaves will begin to grow fungus which the leaf cutter ants will feed on. (3) The rotting leaves left by the ants adds nutrients to the soil. (3) There are also many predators in the rainforests. The Jaguar, a tertiary consumer, has adapted to be small and quick. This enables them to easily maneuver through the forest plants quickly to hunt prey.(3) It also allows them to sleep in trees.(3) The boa constrictor, another predator, has adapted to blend in with the rainforest. It uses this camouflage to sneak up on prey. (3) There are many animals which have much more vibrant colors. (3) One of which is the red eyed tree frog. These tree frogs have very bright colors to blend in with flowers.(3) Because they live in the understory, they need a way to hang on to trees. The red eyed tree frogs have sticky pads on the bottoms of their feet which allow them to climb on the sides of the trees. (3) They also have strong legs that allow them to jump from tree to tree. (3) The rainforests also are home to animals smaller mammals like rodents. The capybara, the largest rodent, lives around the lakes in rainforests. They are primary consumers and have adapted to be able to swim well in water. This can help them to avoid predators like the harpy eagle. The harpy eagle, a tertiary consumer, lives in the canopy has very large talons that allow them to grasp their prey. Another prey of the harpy eagle is the spider monkey (4). The spider monkey lives high in the trees and feeds on nuts, seeds, fruits and insects. (4) These monkeys have prehensile tails that allow them to hang on to trees and swing from branches. (4) The tropical rainforests are home to many of the most unique and beautiful creatures.
Containing nearly half of all plant and animal species, the tropical rainforests are filled with colorful and unique vegetation.

(1) 70% of the plants in the tropical rainforest are trees and it is home to the most kinds of trees in the world. These plants have many special adaptations to survive in the wet, humid conditions. Because there is lots of rain in rainforests, plants do not need to conserve a lot of water. (5) Due to this, many large trees have thin, smooth bark. (5) The leaves of many trees also have drip tips. (5) These allow water to roll off the leaves quickly. (5) The trees may also have buttresses which provide support and aid in gathering more nutrients. (5) One example of the large trees in the rainforests is the kapok tree. (7) Though most of the plants in rainforests are trees, there are plenty of other types of plants. One example is lianas. Lianas are a type vine that climb up the bark of trees. (6) The roots of the woody vine begin in the shallow soil on the ground. (5) The rest of the plant then grows up the tree so that it can reach sunlight. (5) There are also plants like the strangler figs. Strangler figs begin to grow at the top of trees. (6) The debris collected at the top is used as a source of nutrients until the plant sends roots down to the soil. (6) The strangler fig surrounds the tree until it eventually dies and decomposes. (6) There are also other types of trees such as fan palms. The large leaves of the fan palm are shaped like fans and

are used for absorbing sunlight and water. (6) The leaves are also segmented so that extra water can fall off. (6) Other palms found in the rainforests are the carnauba palm and the rattan palms. (7) There are many flowers that grow in the rainforests such as Orchids and corpse flowers. (7) One of the many interesting flowering plants is the bromeliad. (5) Bromeliads can grow on the ground or on other plants. They are mainly found south America. They have leaves that form a vase shape to hold water as well as roots to anchor them to things. (5) The plants of the tropical rainforests are some of the most useful and beautiful plants in the world.