Download What is a Tropical Rainforest? A rainforest is a large, dense forest

What is a Tropical Rainforest?
A rainforest is a large, dense forest with in a hot, humid region (tropical or
subtropical), where there is always heavy rainfall. Tropical rainforests receive at least 80
inches of rain each year and are located around the equator- from the Tropic of Cancer in
the north, to the Tropic of Capricorn in the south. The largest rainforests are in South
America, Africa and Indonesia. Other tropical rainforests lie in Southeast Asia, Hawaii,
and the Caribbean Islands.
Although tropical rainforests receive 12 hours of sunlight daily, less than 2% of
that light ever reaches the ground. Tropical rainforests have dense vegetation, often
forming three different layers: Canopy, the understory and the forest floor. The canopy
makes up the very top of a rainforest, approximately 65-100 feet above the forest floor.
This zone is exposed to the most sun in a rainforest and therefore it is where most of the
flowering and fruiting takes place. Since most of the fruits and flowers are up in the
canopy it is where you will find the majority of insects and animals. Below the canopy
are the young trees and shrubs that make up the understory. The plants in this layer rarely
grow to large sizes because the canopy blocks out most of the sunlight. The forest floor is
where the least amount of light reaches in a rainforest so this is where you will see shade
loving plants, fallen leaves and branches and larger mammals.
Tropical rainforests are very important for all living things, they cover only 6% of
the Earth’s landmass (2% of the Earth’s total surface), yet they contain more than half of
the worlds estimated 10 million species of plants, animals and insects. In addition,
rainforests provide up to 40% of the oxygen currently found in the atmosphere.
Rainforests used to cover 14% of the Earth’s landmass versus the 6% today. Logging
and agricultural clearance are responsible for the disappearance of our rainforests.
Scientists estimate that the remaining rainforests could disappear within 40 years, at the
present rate of logging and clearing.
It is very important for all of us to respect and preserve the rainforests in every
way possible.