The tropical rainforest ecosystem teems with life, much of it still undiscovered by scientists. These hotspots of diversity remain threatened, however, despite efforts to save the plants and animals that make their home among the trees.
Definition of a Tropical Rainforest
The tropical rainforest ecosystem is defined by both rainfall and location. All rainforests receive over 80 inches of rain per year and most tropical rainforests get between 160 and 400 inches yearly. Unlike the temperate rainforests of the world, which are found in temperate climates such as the American Pacific Northwest, tropical rainforests are found in the tropics, a band located between 10 degrees above the equator and 10 degrees below it. Because of the location, the tropical rainforest biome also tends to be hot and humid.
Major Tropical Rainforest Biomes in the World
Almost everyone has heard of the Amazon rainforest, the largest rainforest biome in the world. Surrounding the Amazon river basin, the Amazon rainforest contains about 20 percent of all plant and bird species in the world. The second largest rainforest covers much of tropical Africa, including cloud forests with plants and animals who live their entire lives without ever touching the ground. Other tropical rainforest ecosystems are found in Australia, Southeast Asia, Pacific Islands and Central America, especially Costa Rica.
Plants of the Tropical Rainforest
Trees tower over a tropical rainforest, forming a canopy that shades the forest floor. Numerous epiphytes, plants that live on trees, live in this canopy, including orchids and mosses. Shade-loving plants, including ferns, shrubs and vines dot the forest floor among the fallen leaf litter of the canopy trees. Modern medicine owes much to the plants of the rainforest, since many pharmaceutical drugs originated there, such as curare and quinine.
Tropical Rainforest Animals
The tropical rainforests of the world house species found nowhere else in the world. Monkeys, jaguars, poison dart frogs and anacondas are some of the many species who make their homes in the tropical rainforests of the New World. Old World rainforest species include great apes, jungle elephants and tigers. Birds, bats, insects, snakes and amphibians also populate tropical rainforests worldwide, and scientists believe that many species are yet to be discovered.
Dangers and Threats to the Tropical Rainforest Ecosystem
The tropical rainforests are in grave danger, suffering from deforestation, habitat destruction, overharvesting of natural resources and climate change. Many species have already gone extinct and others hover on the verge of extinction. Organizations such as the Tropical Rainforest Coalition work to protect the rainforests by purchasing rainforest land for protection and by creating habitat corridors that plants and animals can use to avoid being isolated from each other.
High levels of rain and heat combined with an explosion of plant and animal life make tropical rainforests some of the most interesting and diverse places in the world. Readers interested in the biology of other biomes may want to check out Suite101 articles describing the Temperate Rainforest Ecosystem and the Alpine Ecosystem.
References:
Allaby, Michael; Biomes of the World: Tropical Forests.Chelsea House 2006.
USDA Forest Service International Programs: A Student Guide To Tropical Forest Conservation Fs.fed.us
Mongabay.com: Tropical Rainforests
Bridget Coila - I'm a cell and molecular biologist, freelance writer and photographer currently living in Beijing, China. I'm fascinated by science, ...
Join the Conversation