Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Characteristics of biomes (Soils (Latosols, Thin O-Horizon layer due to…
Characteristics of biomes
Climate
Tropical
Located 23º north of the equator
Hot and Humid
27º
88% humidity
Equatorial zone is the region of maximum solar heating
Suns rays are hitting at a high angle
Long and consistent day length
12hrs a day
High rate of evaporation
Heavy convectional rainfall-2000mm per year
50% of rain from its own evaporation
Vegetataion
Wide range
Growing season all year
Forrest has an evergreen appearance despite being deciduous as trees lose their leaves at different times
Layering is an adaptation by plants to reduce competition
Shallow roots for nutrients close to the surface
Buttress roots are above ground
Layers
Forest floor
1% of light, little growth
Understory
Tall, non-flowering shrubs, small trees
Canopy layer
Vines grow on trees, leaves are large to trap as much sunlight as possible
Emergent Layer
All the tallest trees
Soils
Latosols
Thin O-Horizon layer due to intense bacterial activity which decomposes dead organic matter
Red/Orange
Insolubale iron and aluminium oxides remain
Low humus content due to radio decomposition of dead organic matter
Up to 40m deep
Fast growing plants rapidly use the humus
Once exposed the soil becomes infertile
Exposed latosols are baked into a hard brick like surface
Animals
Great variety due to warmth, water,sunlight and plants
42000 species
Specialised to avoid competition
May only live in one area-spider monkeys-Canopy layer
Nocturnal
Swordbill hummingbird only feeds on datura flowers
Camouflage