Flora
|
Tropical rainforests have millions of species of flora and fauna, more than anywhere else on earth.
Most trees in tropical rainforests are broad leaf evergreen trees, which continually lose their old leaves and replace them with new leaves. Many of these trees have large leaves that allow excess rain to drip off, and because the weather is hot and wet, they do not have thick bark to slow down moisture loss. Instead, they have thin, smooth bark, and often have moss growing on them. Rainforests are generally made up of four layers. The emergent layer consists of trees that can grow up to 60 metres that stick out through the next layer which is the canopy layer. The canopy layer forms a dense roof over the rainforest. The understory consists of trees up to 4 metres tall that have large leaves to catch the small amount of sunlight that reaches them. The forest floor is made up mostly of decaying vegetation. The layers of rainforests are connected by vines and ferns. Many rainforest plants are gathered for food and medicines. |
Fauna
About half of all the world's animal species live in tropical rainforests, as tropical rainforests are almost perfect for animal survival. They are always warm, and there are no season changes bringing times when there is little food. There is shade from the heat, shelter from the rain and no shortage of water.
Thousands of species of brightly coloured birds fly through tropical rainforest canopies. These include macaws, parrots, peacocks, and toucans. Bats and monkeys also live in the canopies. Among the many rainforest reptiles living in the lower levels are iguanas and giant snakes, such as anacondas, and tree snakes. |
|