tropical forest revision
location:
climate
soils
plants
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the climate is the same all year round and there are no seasons.
tropical rainforests are found at the equatorial zone where it is humid and hot. the temperature is normally 20 - 28 degrees.
rainfall is also very high being 2000mm per year. it rains everyday
Tropical rainforests are found around the equator and between the tropic of Capricorn and cancer.
the soil is infertile as the rain washes the nutrients away. there are some nutrients at the surface of the soil, where dead leaves decompose in the hot and humid conditions.
Tall trees are competing for sunlight and have large buttress roots to support their trunks. The roots are shallow and snake across the forest floor to get nutrients from the surface of the soil.
Plants have thick waxy leaves and drip tips. This is so they can channel the water so it runs off quickly and doesn’t damage the leaf.
trees have smooth flat bark to ensure than rain falls off the trees quickly.
climbing plants are called lianas, they use the tree trunks to climb to the top of the canopy to the sunlight.
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Epiphytes are plants that live on the branches of the trees high up in the canopy to get as much sunlight as they can. They get their nutrients from the air and water, and not the soil
Animals
Many animals, for example, the spider monkey have strong limbs so they can climb and leaps from tree to tree.
Some animals for example the sloth uses camouflage and moves very slowly to make it difficult for predators to spot. The sloth is also nocturnal so it feeds at night when it’s cooler.
Some animals have webbed hands and feet or flaps of loose skin that stretched between its limbs for example the flying frog and squirrel which allow it to glide from plant to plant.
Many animals can swim for example jaguars so they can cross river channels
The toucan has a long, large bill to allow it to reach and cut fruit from branches that are too weak to support its weight