TROPICAL RAINFOREST

• within the latitudes 28 degrees north or south of the equator (in the equatorial zone between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn). 

• An average of 50 to 260 inches (125 to 660 cm.) of rain falls yearly.

• Temperature-higher than 93 °F (34 °C) or drops below 68 °F (20 °C)

• Humidity- between 77 and 88%;

• Covered less than 6% of the Earth’s land surface

• 50% of animals and plants live • Produce 40% of Earth’s oxygen• Two-thirds of all flowering plants can

be found in rainforests.• A single hectare 42,000 different

species of insect, up to 807 trees of 313 species and 1,500 species of higher plants.

Major rainforest in the world

Types of tropical forest

• Lowland equatorial evergreen rain forests

• Moist deciduous and semi-evergreen seasonal forests

• Montane rain forests• Flooded forests

Lowland equatorial evergreen rain forests

• forests which receive high rainfall (more than 2000 mm, or 80 inches, annually) throughout the year

• Occurs at the belt of the equator

Moist deciduous and semi-evergreen seasonal forests

• high overall rainfall with a warm summer• wet season and a cooler winter dry season• Some trees shed off their leaves on winter

season

Montane rain forests

• cloud forests• Found in cooler-climate mountain areas• Latitude is between 1500 to 3300 m

Flooded forest

• Permanently waterlogged swamp forest• Seasonally waterlogged swamp forest• Lower floodplain forest• Middle floodplain forest• Upper floodplain forest• Old floodplain forest• Previous floodplain

Layers of Rain Forest

Forest floor

• Forest Floor– bottom-most layer– receives only 2% of the sunlight– Low vegetation-low sunlight penetration– contains decaying plant, animal matter and fungi– Several species of reptiles, amphibians and insects– Also some large mammals

Understory

• Lies between the canopy and the forest floor

•  home to a number of birds, small mammals, insects, reptiles, and predators

•  about 5% of sunlight breaches the canopy to arrive at the understory causing true understory plants to seldom grow to 3 m (10 feet)

• plants have broad leaves

Canopy

• primary layer of the forest• contains the majority of the largest

trees, typically 30–45 m in height• Tall, broad-leaved evergreen trees• Supports rich flora and diverse fauna

Emergents

• contains a small number of very large trees, called emergents

• reaching heights of 45–55 m•  few species will grow to 70–80 m tall•  unique faunal species inhabit this

layer(crowned eagle, king colobus, and large flying fox

Abiotic and

Biotic factors

Abiotic Factors

• Temperature• Precipitation• Soil• Humidity

Biotic Factors

• Plants • Animals

Plant Adaptations

Animal Adaptation

Human ImpactMining and drillingConversion to agriculture landClimate Change

Human impact•Deforestation•Urbanization•Pollution•Poaching•Tourism