Scribd
Upload
65 views2 pages

Tropical Rainforest Biodiversity Overview

Tropical rainforests are located near the equator and receive significant rainfall. They contain the greatest biodiversity on Earth despite occupying only 6% of the planet's land. The rainforest is divided into three main layers - the canopy of tall trees, the understory of shorter trees and shrubs below the canopy, and the dark forest floor that receives little sunlight. Rainforests are important because they produce much of the world's oxygen, may contain cures for diseases, and support many species, but around 40% have already been destroyed by human development.

Uploaded by

Michael Austria
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
65 views2 pages

Tropical Rainforest Biodiversity Overview

Tropical rainforests are located near the equator and receive significant rainfall. They contain the greatest biodiversity on Earth despite occupying only 6% of the planet's land. The rainforest is divided into three main layers - the canopy of tall trees, the understory of shorter trees and shrubs below the canopy, and the dark forest floor that receives little sunlight. Rainforests are important because they produce much of the world's oxygen, may contain cures for diseases, and support many species, but around 40% have already been destroyed by human development.

Uploaded by

Michael Austria
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Environmental Issues: Tropical

Forest
One of the most fascinating biomes on planet Earth is the tropical rainforest. It is filled

with tall trees, interesting plants, giant insects, and all sorts of animals. As you might have

guessed from the name, rainforests are forests that get a lot of rain. Tropical rainforests are

located in the tropics, near the equator. Most rainforests get at least 75 inches of rain with many

getting well over 100 inches in areas. Rainforests are also very humid and warm. Because they

are close to the equator, the temperature stays between 70 and 90 degrees F for most of the year.

There are three major areas of tropical rainforests. These are Africa, Southeast Asia, and South

America. The tropical rainforest has the most biodiversity of all the land biomes. Despite only

covering around 6% of the Earth's surface, scientists estimate that around half of the planet's

animal and plant species live in the world's rainforests. The rainforest can be divided up into

three layers: the canopy, the understory, and the forest floor. Different animals and plants live in

each different layer.

The canopy - This is the top layer of trees. These trees are usually at least 100 feet tall. Their

branches and leaves form an umbrella over the rest of the layers. Most of the plants and animals

live on this layer. This includes monkeys, birds, insects, and reptiles of all sorts. Some animals

can live their entire lives without leaving the canopy to touch the ground. This layer is the

loudest layer with the animals making lots of noise.

The understory - Beneath the canopy is the understory. This layer is made up of some shorter

trees and shrubs, but mostly the trunks and branches of the canopy trees. This layer is home to

some of the larger predators like snakes and leopards. It is also home to owls, bats,

insects, frogs, iguanas, and various other animals.

The forest floor - Because of the thickness of the canopy, very little sunlight makes it to the

forest floor. This layer is home to lots of insects and spiders. There are also some animals that
live on this layer including deer, pigs, and snakes. This layer is the quietest layer as animals

sneak around in the dark making little noise.

Sometimes scientists refer to a fourth layer called the emergent layer. This is made up of tall

trees that grow above the canopy. The rainforests are important to the world for many reasons.

One reason is that they act as the Earth's lungs by producing around 40% of the world's oxygen.

Since all of us need oxygen to live, that reason ranks pretty high. The rainforests also provide a

number of important drugs to help sick people and cure diseases. It is believed by many that

there are even cures for cancer waiting for us to discover in the rainforest. The rainforest is also

home to many species of animals and is a beautiful and irreplaceable part of nature.

Unfortunately, human development is killing off much of the world's rainforest. Around 40% of

the world's rainforests have already been lost. Environmentalists are doing what they can to help

countries preserve this vital biome.

You might also like