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Rainforest canopy trees in Peru. (Photo by R. Butler)
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STRUCTURE AND CHARACTER
Tropical rainforests
across the world are quite diverse, but share several defining characteristics
including climate, precipitation, canopy structure, complex symbiotic
relationships, and diversity of species. Every rainforest does not necessarily
conform to these characteristics and most tropical rainforests do not
have clear boundaries, but may blend with adjoining mangrove forest,
moist forest, montane forest, or tropical deciduous forest.
GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE
Tropical rainforests lie in the "tropics," between the Tropic
of Capricorn and Tropic of Cancer. In this region sunlight strikes Earth
at roughly a 90-degree angle resulting in intense solar energy (solar
energy diminishes as you move farther north or south).
This intensity is due to the consistent day length on
the equator: 12 hours a day, 365 days per year (regions away from the
equator have days of varying length). This consistent sunlight provides
the essential energy necessary to power the forest via photosynthesis.
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Map showing world distribution of rainforests
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Because of the ample solar
energy, tropical rainforests are usually warm year round with temperatures
from about 72-93F (22-34C), although forests at higher elevations, especially
cloud forests, may be significantly cooler. The temperature may fluctuate
during the year, but in some equatorial forests the average may vary as little as 0.5F (0.3C) throughout the year. Temperatures
are generally moderated by cloud cover and high humidity.
PRECIPITATION
An important characteristic of rainforests is apparent in their name.
Rainforests lie in the intertropical convergence zone where intense
solar energy produces a convection zone of rising air that loses its
moisture through frequent rainstorms. Rainforests are subject to heavy
rainfall, at least 80 inches (2,000 mm), and in some areas over 430
inches (10,920 mm) of rain each year. In equatorial regions, rainfall
may be year round without apparent "wet" or "dry"
seasons, although many forests do have seasonal rains. Even in seasonal
forests, the period between rains is usually not long enough for the
leaf litter to dry out completely. During the parts of the year when
less rain falls, the constant cloud cover is enough to keep the air
moist and prevent plants from drying out. Some neotropical rainforests rarely
go a month during the year without at least 6" of rain. The stable
climate, with evenly spread rainfall and warmth, allows most rainforest
trees to be evergreen—keeping their leaves all year and
never dropping all their leaves in any one season.
Forests further from the equator, like those of Thailand, Sri Lanka,
and Central America, where rainy seasons are more pronounced, can only
be considered "semi-evergreen" since some species of trees
may shed all of their leaves at the beginning of the dry season. Annual
rainfall is spread evenly enough to allow heavy growth of broad-leafed
evergreen trees, or at least semi-evergreen trees.
The moisture of the rainforest from rainfall, constant cloud cover,
and transpiration (water loss through leaves), creates intense local
humidity. Each canopy tree transpires some 200 gallons (760 liters)
of water annually, translating to roughly 20,000 gallons (76,000 L)
of water transpired into the atmosphere for every acre of canopy trees.
Large rainforests (and their humidity) contribute to the formation of
rain clouds, and generate as much as 75 percent of their own
rain. The Amazon rainforest is responsible for creating as much as 50
percent of its own precipitation.
Deforestation and climate change may be affecting the water cycle in tropical rainforests. Since the mid-1990s,
rainforests around the world have experienced periods of severe drought,
including southeast Asia in 1997 and 2005 and the Amazon in 2005. Dry conditions, combined with degradation from logging and agricultural conversion, make forests more vulnerable to wildfire.
Review questions:
- Where are rainforests located?
- What are the tropics?
- Where/how does the rainforest get its energy?
- Rainforest are _________ since they are warm and have a lot of moisture in the air.
- How much rain do rainforests get?
- How do rainforests create their own rain?
- What is an evergreen tree?
- What are two things affecting the water cycle of tropical rainforests?
- Drought makes rainforests susceptible to what?
[print version | spanish | french | portuguese
| chinese | japanese]
Continued: Structure of the tropical rainforest - part II
This article was written by Rhett A. Butler [bibliographic citation for this page] and was last updated on the most recent date listed in the column on the right side.
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