Tropical rainforests are a welcoming environment for many species of animals and plants. Their constant humidity, year-round warm temperatures, and plentiful rainfall ensure good conditions for sustainable life.
QUICK FACTS
-Did you know that over 40% of the Earth’s oxygen comes from the tropical rainforests that cover just 6% of the Earth’s surface?
-And did you know that over half of the 10 million known species on Earth reside in the rainforests?
-How about the fact that 140 species become extinct every day in the rainforests?
Obviously, the tropical rainforest biome is a crucial habitat for the Earth’s plants and animals. So what kinds of species live in this environment?
PLANTS
The plant life in a tropical rainforest biome is unevenly divided between trees and other types of plants. Over 70% of the tropical forest flora are tree species. In part, this is because of the uneven distribution of essential plant growing conditions throughout the environment.
The humidity in a tropical rainforest is very high, because not only does it get a lot of rain, but even the trees transpire, or “sweat” water from their leaves’ pores. While the soil isn’t rich, the greenery is in a constant cycle of decomposition, absorption, growth, and decomposition again to feed itself.
The canopy is formed of four layers. The top layers shelter the lower ones from almost all light and wind, so smaller plants like vines and orchids must grow off the ground on the upper canopy. The lower layers, which are in shade, are important mainly because they are the site of decomposition and nutrition for the roots of the taller trees.
Why are the plants important here? The oxygen provided here is 40% of the world’s total oxygen, and a single tree can provide a family of four with breathable oxygen for a year. Some estimates place the number of rainforest plants that could be a cure for cancer at 1,400. The flora here already provides a quarter of the world’s medicines.
ANIMALS
Winter is not a season in most rainforests; if anything, “rainy” and “dry” are the only seasons that exist! The temperatures stay at 20-30 degrees Celsius all year round, and the trees are evergreen. This makes it easy for animals to obtain a year-round supply of fruits and other foods from the plentiful plant life.
The fauna of tropical rainforests is incredibly diverse. In one section of land measuring four square miles, there might be 400 bird species, 150 butterfly species, 125 mammal species, 100 reptile species, and 60 amphibian species. This welcoming environment make it no surprise that such a variety of animals, over half of the world’s total animal species, live in the rainforest!
Species may be under threat very easily, however. Some species might only have one or two members in a square mile, or their entire population might be contained in one small area of a few square miles. The high extinction rate is alarming. Most people know about the Dodo going extinct, but are unaware that this happens everyday, along with 139 fellow species of animals (and plants too).
CONCLUSION
The tropical rainforest biome is an incredibly important part of our ecosystem, and the flora and fauna within are uniquely diverse.
