Tropical Rainforest

Layer upon layer of life, from the forest floor to the sunlit canopy.

Dense, humid forests near the equator, home to more species than any other land habitat.

Overview

Tropical rainforests grow where it is warm and wet all year. Tall trees form a closed canopy that captures most of the sunlight, so life is organised in layers: emergent giants, the canopy, a shaded understory and a dark forest floor where fallen leaves decompose quickly. Many plants and animals live their whole lives in a single layer.

Climate

Warm and humid throughout the year, with heavy rainfall and little difference between seasons.

Where it is found

Tropical belt around the equator — South and Central America, Central Africa and Southeast Asia.

Vegetation

Broadleaf evergreen trees, lianas, epiphytes such as orchids and bromeliads, and giant-leaved understory plants.

Living conditions

Humidity: Air near the forest floor stays humid almost all the time.
Light: Only a small share of sunlight reaches the ground, so seedlings compete for gaps.
Soil: Soils are often thin and poor; most nutrients are held in living plants.

Key facts

Temperature: Warm all year, typically 20–30 °C
Precipitation: Typically 2,000 mm or more a year
Seasonality: Little seasonal change
Latitude: Within about 23.5° of the equator

How the ecosystem works

Vertical layers: Each layer — emergent, canopy, understory, floor — has its own community.
Specialists: Many species depend on one host plant, pollinator or fruit.
Fast recycling: Fungi and insects break down fallen material in weeks.

Food web

Producers: Canopy trees, Monstera, Epiphytes
Herbivores: Scarlet macaw, Gorilla, Leaf insects
Predators: Jaguar, Tiger
Decomposers: Fungi, Termites & ants

Biodiversity

Rainforests cover a small part of the land but hold a very large share of known land species. Plants such as Rafflesia and the corpse flower exist nowhere else.

Threats

Deforestation — Clearing for farming, cattle and logging removes habitat permanently.
Fragmentation — Roads and clearings split forests into patches too small for large animals.
Hunting & trade — Poaching and the pet trade remove animals faster than they can recover.
Climate change — Longer droughts make forests drier and more vulnerable to fire.

Conservation

Rainforests store huge amounts of carbon, create rainfall far beyond their borders and shelter countless species. Keeping them standing is one of the most effective ways to protect biodiversity.

Protected areas and Indigenous territories keep large forests intact.
Wildlife corridors reconnect fragments.
Deforestation-free supply chains reduce pressure on forests.