rainforestabioticfactorper4

Main Page - Animals & Adaptations - Plants & Adaptations - Human Effects -   Bibliography   Abiotic Factors The Tropical Rain Forest is known as the hot and moist biome. The combination of heat and moisture makes this biome the perfect place for the 15 million different species that live in the Tropical Rain Forest.

__** Rainfall: **__ These forests get 60 to 160 inches of precipitation per year. This biome has at least 70 inches of rain each year. It rains more than 90 days a year in the rainforest, and receives an anual rainfall of more than 250 centimeters.


 * __Temperature:__** The Tropical Rainforest biome has a very warm and wet climate. It has an average temperature of 20-34 degrees Celsius, and rarely get higher than 93 °F or drops below 68 °F. Since this biome is located so close to the equator, it has very little seasonal change in temperature or the length of a day. [[image:african_rainforest2.jpg width="343" height="232" align="right"]]

**__Trees:__** The warm air and lots of rain make it a perfect climate for growing most trees, and they can grow extremely large and tall in the rainforest. Some trees grow to the height of more than 165 feet and have straight trunks that don't branch out for 100 feet or more. In fact, the tropical rainforest has more kinds of trees than any other are in the world.
 * __Sun Light:__** Since this biome is located very close to the equator, it recieves more direct sunlight hitting land and sea than most places on earth. This makes it very succesful for the growth of plants, which are the key importance for beautiful wildlife that are thriving in this exotic jungle.

**__ Tropical Soils: __** Soils are the basis for all terrestrial life, and the soil on which a forest grows is a critical determinant of forest type and vegetation. "Soils are the transformers, regulators, buffers, and water and nutrient filtration systems of the forest." They provide physical support for plants; they absorb, retain, and release water. These soils provide essential minerals and other chemical compounds for plant growth and maintenance. They also contribute as "waste disposal" services and nutrient cycling services through their microorganisms and soil fauna. <span style="color: #ff00a8; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">The soil types derived from the bedrock underlying tropical forests are mainly soils called oxisols and ultisols. Oxisols are acidic soils and contain considerable quantities of iron and aluminum. Ultisols are highly-weathered, acidic soils and are less frequently found than oxisols. These two types of soils comprise about 43% of the soils under tropical rainforests.