Welcome To The Amazing Rainforest
Rainforest Biome
CLIMATE:
Warm and wet describes the tropical rain forest climate. The average annual temperature is above 20C; there is never a frost. Rainfall varies widely from a low of about 250cm of rain per year to about 450 cm/year. That means a range from about 8 to 14 feet of rain per year
Warm and wet describes the tropical rain forest climate. The average annual temperature is above 20C; there is never a frost. Rainfall varies widely from a low of about 250cm of rain per year to about 450 cm/year. That means a range from about 8 to 14 feet of rain per year
WORLD DISTRIBUTION:
WORLD DISTRIBUTION: Within this band, solar radiation is intense , and thus the surface of the planet warms the most. The warmth leads to a lot of evaporation, and as warm, moist air rises, it cools, the water condenses, and the water falls back to the earth as rain. Thus, the warmest areas of the planet also tend to be the wettest, and this sets the stage for the Tropical rain forest.
Animals
Plants
How diverse are the rain forests? A hectare in the Appalachians may have up to 30 species of trees; in the tropics a range of 40 to 100 is common and over 300 species is not unknown. The entire La Selva site in Costa Rica has over 1,600 species of plants in 1,500 hectares; a station in the Amazon basin has over 1,800 species. As many frogs have been collected from a single site in the rain forest as there are in all of North America. One estimate of invertebrate diversity is for about 30 million species in tropical forests.
Threats
First, let's consider human population growth. Many of the fastest-growing human populations are located in the tropics, and as they clear land for sustenance farming there is a direct impact on the rainforest. Unfortunately, once cleared, rainforest soils quickly lose their nutrients and then new areas have to be cut. Population-driven conflicts also add to the problems; a series of wars in the Congo River basin have killed millions of people, and in the unrest forest protection (such as for the preserve where many of the world's remaining gorillas live) is impossible. Logging is a threat; many of the tropical trees are prized for their lumber (and some are just ground up to make toilet paper).
Other problems face the rainforest. Global and regional climate change are of particular concern. You wouldn't expect global warming to have much of an effect in the tropics, and in fact the effects are less pronounced at the equator than they are at the poles. However, in addition to warmer conditions, global climate change also means shifting rainfall patterns and that, of course, will affect rainforests.
Other problems face the rainforest. Global and regional climate change are of particular concern. You wouldn't expect global warming to have much of an effect in the tropics, and in fact the effects are less pronounced at the equator than they are at the poles. However, in addition to warmer conditions, global climate change also means shifting rainfall patterns and that, of course, will affect rainforests.