What Does
Tropical Rainforests Mean?
Tropical rainforests are areas of very dense, broad-leaved evergreen trees. Forests are found in areas with very high annual rainfall that remains all year round. Temperatures are very high in tropical rainforests and remain so throughout the year also. Tropical rainforests support a large amount of life and are located near the earth’s equator. The largest rainforest is the Amazon in south America.
Safeopedia Explains Tropical Rainforests
Tropical rainforests have five defining characteristics. The first is high rainfall; most will receive over 100 inches per year. The second is high temperature, which normally sits between 70-90°F year round. The third is, often surprisingly so, poor soil quality with limited nutrients. This happens because the high temperature and rainfall increases the speed of decomposition, which means that plants can absorb nutrients more quickly and this leaves the soil void of nutrients. The forth is location near the equator. The fifth is a high level of species richness.