TROPICAL FORESTS
Tropical forests tend to contain
a wide variety of broad leaf
evergreen trees like the one
shown here.
Located between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, tropical forests cover approximately 14 per cent of the earth’s land surface. There are two main types, tropical rain forests and tropical dry forests.
Rain Forests:- Tropical rain forests are the most complex and diverse ecosystems on earth and scientists have estimated that they could contain between 50 and 90 per cent of the world’s plant and animal species. For example, in one 50- hectare plot of tropical rain forest in Malaysia 835 tree species have been identified.
Temperature:- Tropical rain forests are found in hot and humid condition, where the average temperature during the coldest month of the year is no lower than 18º C and there is least 100 mm of rain every month.
Tropical rain:- In contrast to the dense, luxuriant tropical rain forest, tropical dry forests often have trees that are widely scattered and are usually small and scrubby in appearance. They tend to grow in areas where the climate is hot and dry, and the trees may lose their leaves during the driest months. Whilst these dry forests do not contain as many species as rain forests, they are the habitat for some of the worlds most magnificent animals such as elephants rhinos and lions.
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