tropical rainforest charectoristics

• Climate in the tropical rainforest

  • Consistently above 25 degrees with very little variation
  • Tiny dip to 25 in June and July
  • Annual average is 27
• Rainfall in the tropical rainforest

  • Relatively dry in the winter months
  • Most rainfall in the summer months, peaking in June and July
  • Total annual rainfall exceeds 4,000 mm
  • Rainfall peaks as temperature drops slightly
• Tropical rainforest soils are thin and infertile
• Water cycle in the tropical rainforest

  1. Water is stored in soil moisture and puddles

  2. Water is transported down the layers to the forest floor

  3. Shallow-rooted plants take up water in the bottom layer

  4. Shrub layer transfers water to the forest floor

  5. Canopy intercepts water and passes it down to the shrub layer

  6. This system slows the water and prevents soil erosion
• Animals use water for drinking and eat vegetation where water is stored
• Biomass


  Living or recently dead matter, e.g. leaves or fallen leaves
• Tropical rainforests support the largest number of species of any biome, over two-thirds of the world's plant and animal species
• Tropical rainforests have a 12-month growing season
• Sloth


  • Have hooked claws for swimming
  • Have long and strong arms and claws to help climb trees and escape predators
  • Can swim due to the presence of water, rainfall, rivers and islands
• Birds of Paradise


  • Have colorful feathers to attract a mate and scare away predators
• Strawberry poison-dart frog


  • Have bright colours to repel predators and show they are poisonous
  • Have pores on their skin that secrete poison
  • Each island has a different colour due to diet making some more poisonous
• Soil Moisture


  A type of water storage in the soil, available to plants.
• Capillary Action


  The natural movement of water through tiny spaces in the soil.
• Canopy


  The upper layer of the rainforest, where dense plant growth intercepts water.
• Shrub Layer


  The mid-layer of the rainforest, receiving water from the Canopy and transmitting it to the forest floor.
• Forest Floor


  The bottom layer of the rainforest, where soil and plants receive water from the Shrub Layer.