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| Rainforest Diversity |
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RAINFOREST DIVERSITY - ORIGINS AND IMPLICATIONS Tropical rainforests support the greatest diversity of living organisms on Earth. Although they cover less than 2 percent of Earth's surface, they house an estimated 50 percent of all life on the planet. The immense numbers of creatures that inhabit the tropical rainforests are so great—an estimated 5-50 million species— they are almost incomprehensible. The sheer range of numbers alone suggests the limited extent of our knowledge of these forests. For example, whereas temperate forests are often dominated by a half dozen tree species or fewer that make up 90 percent of the trees in the forest, a tropical rainforest may have more than 480 tree species in a single hectare (2.5 acres). A single bush in the Amazon may have more species of ants than the entire British Isles. This diversity of rainforests is not a haphazard event, but is the result of a series of unique circumstances. Countries with the Highest Biodiversity What is biodiversity?Biodiversity -- short for biological diversity -- is the the number and types of organisms in an ecosystem, region or environment, [full photo version] Continued: Role of Climate, Solar Energy, and Stability Bibliographic citation for this page Other pages in this section:
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