Tropical forests have a high rainfall, around 200cm (80inches) per year, high humidity and constant temperatures of at least 17 degrees Celsius (63 degrees Fahrenheit). Tropical forests contain thousands of species of trees, none of which are dominant. Conditions within a tropical forest also allow a great number of animal species, potentially several million.
Overview of Tropical Forests
Tropical forests are one of the wettest places on Earth due to their proximity to the equator. The sun is always high in the sky and water evaporates from oceans condensing into rain clouds, which soak the forest on a near daily basis.
There are two main types of tropical forest. These are:
- Rainforest
- Monsoon forest
Rainfall is heavy all year round in a rainforest, although there is a chance of drier spells occurring. The main rainforest areas include:
- African Congo
- South American Amazon Basin
- South-east Asia
Monsoon forests grow in tropical areas where all year is a ‘wet season’. The large monsoon forests are found in:
- Australia
- India
- The coast of Brazil
Plant life in a Tropical Forest
Due to an abundance of warmth and water, trees thrive in a tropical forest. Many trees reach 50 meters (165 ft) or more and form a canopy high above the ground. A single hectare in a tropical forest can contain 50-70 species of tree. A distinctive aspect of the tropical forest is the stratification of feeding stratas of which there are at least six.
Tropical forests grow very quickly compared with other forests. Common plants include climbing plants and epiphytes, sometimes called air plants because they attach themselves to the trunks or branches of other plants rather then growing on the ground.
Mammals of the Tropical Forest
Many animals have adapted to life in the canopy, high above the forest floor, most commonly, monkeys. There is a large diversity of mammals that live in tropical forests. These include:
- Monkey
- Asian elephant
- Bengal tiger
- Orangutan
- Sloth
- Bat
- Squirrel
The feeding strata of the tropical forest is broken up into at least six sections, thought it can be up to eight, and each strata has a variety of animals living there.
- High above the canopy where they are exposed to sunlight, wind and temperature changes live insectivorous birds and bats.
- Below this reside mostly birds, fruit bats and mammals that feed on fruit and leaves.
- At the canopy are arboreal animals, mostly monkeys, more birds, insects and insectivorous bats. These animals would rarely, if ever, visit the forest floor.
- Middles zones contain arboreal animals much like those in the canopy. Again, these animals would spend very little time on the forest floor.
- In the lower levels climbing animals such as squirrels can be found. Animals like these will move up and down the trunks, feeding from all six strata and occasionally descending to the forest floor for short periods of time.
- On the ground level are large mammals like the Asian elephant and small mammals such as rodents. Basically the ground level is made up of carnivores, herbivores, and insectivores of all sizes, which lack the ability to climb trees.
Tropical forests are one of the most diverse biomes in relation to animal species. They are also the most threatened forest ecosystem in the world, as large areas, especially in the Amazon Basin, are cleared for agriculture and logging.
You may also be interested in reading Grassland Mammals and Prairie Ecology or Desert mammals and Desert Ecology.
Resource and further reading:
Hickman, Roberts, Larson & I’Anson, 2004, ‘The Biosphere and Animal Distribution’ in Integrated Principles of Zoology, 12th edition, ed. McGraw Hill, New York, chapter 37.
Roberta Goli - Roberta has a Bachelor of Science Degree (Zoology), has worked with animals for over 10 years and enjoys writing short stories and flash ...
