Plants need light, heat and water to grow. So, the climate of a place influences the types of plants that grow there. Plants provide food and homes for animals. So, the types of plants that grow in a region influence the types of animals that live there. We find that region influence of the world with similar climates also have similar plants and animals. In this post, we will look at the tropical rainforests of the world.

Location of tropical rainforests on earth

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Look at the map. Notice that all the tropical rainforests are on either side of the equator. They are called tropical because they are between the tropics. They are located between the tropic cancer in the north and the tropic of Capricorn in the south.

The climate in tropical rainforests

The tropical rainforests grow in a very hot, wet climate with no dry season. Look at the example of the average monthly temperature and rainfall graph for Libreville, Gabon. The labels show you how to read the climate graph.

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Activity:

Acquire information from the climate graph about the tropical rainforests

• What are the highest and the lowest temperature in Libreville?
• What is the highest amount of rain that falls in one month?
• What is the total rainfall for Libreville?

Natural vegetation and wildlife in a rainforest

Natural vegetation describes the plants which grow naturally in a region. It does not include crops, trees or flowers which people have planted. The high temperatures and high rainfall in these regions are ideal for forests. Look at the diagram below which shows the layers of vegetation in a tropical rainforest.

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Trees in countries with cool or cold season lose their leaves when the weather gets cooler, usually during the autumn. It is always hot and wet in tropical forests. So, there is no time of the year when all the trees lose their leaves. The forest is always green. Different trees lose their leaves at different times and there is always a thick layer of leaves on the forest floor. These leaves rot quickly in the hot, wet climate and provide compost for the trees.

Animal life

Each level of forest provides different living conditions and food. Remember that there are no seasons in the forests. The plants provide seeds and fruits all year round, so animals have no need to move away at certain time of the year in search of food.

Deforestation

The most important resource from rainforests is timber, such as teak, ebony and mahogany. This wood is very good for making furniture. For many years, timber has been cut from the rainforests and sold. When trees are cut down in the rainforests, it can take up to 100 years for new trees to reach their full size. People have not been replacing the trees they cut down. This has led to the disappearance of many tropical forests. The process is called deforestation.

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Activity:

Answer the following question from general knowledge:

• What is deforestation?
• Give two reasons why the trees are being cut down.
• What happens to the animals when the trees are cut down?
• What happens to the soil after the forest is cut down?

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Bibliography & Extra reading:

• What makes plants grow?
• Equator and tropics
• Tropics
• Where are rainforests?
• Weather and temperatures, Libreville
• Vegetation region
• Tropical rainforest ; Vegetation
• Deciduous
• Why plants shed their leaves
• What happens to animals in rainforests?
• Tropical timber
• Rainforest lumber and timber
• Rainforest PDF
• Deforestation research

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