Tropical Forest
Tropical forests are located near equator, where the weather is warm all year. The ropical rain forest is the wettest land biome, with a rainfall of 250 to 400 centimeters each year.
WEATHER: Rainforests are important because they help maintain global weather patterns and rain. Water that evaporates from trees falls in other areas as rain.
PLANTS: One type of plant often found in a rainforest is an epiphyte. Epiphytes are plants that live on the surface of other plants, especially the trunks and branches. They often grow on trees to take advantage of sunlight in the canopy.
ANIMALS: A common characteristic found among mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, is an adaptation to living in trees. One example is New World monkeys that have prehensile tails that curl around branches allowing the monkey to hold onto the tree with its tail! Other animals are brightly colored, sharply patterned, have loud vocalizations, and like to eat lots of fruit. Most of the animals in the tropical rainforest live in the canopy. There is so much food available up there that some animals never go down to explore the forest floor. Birds are important to rainforests because they like to eat seeds and fruit. Their droppings grow into new plants and help rainforests to survive. Tropical rainforests are important to birds because they provide winter grounds as migratory destination.
WEATHER: Rainforests are important because they help maintain global weather patterns and rain. Water that evaporates from trees falls in other areas as rain.
PLANTS: One type of plant often found in a rainforest is an epiphyte. Epiphytes are plants that live on the surface of other plants, especially the trunks and branches. They often grow on trees to take advantage of sunlight in the canopy.
ANIMALS: A common characteristic found among mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, is an adaptation to living in trees. One example is New World monkeys that have prehensile tails that curl around branches allowing the monkey to hold onto the tree with its tail! Other animals are brightly colored, sharply patterned, have loud vocalizations, and like to eat lots of fruit. Most of the animals in the tropical rainforest live in the canopy. There is so much food available up there that some animals never go down to explore the forest floor. Birds are important to rainforests because they like to eat seeds and fruit. Their droppings grow into new plants and help rainforests to survive. Tropical rainforests are important to birds because they provide winter grounds as migratory destination.