Tropical Rainforests

Geography: AQA GCSE, topic 2.2.1

Overview of Tropical Rainforests

Tropical rainforests have the following general characteristics:

There aren't really seasons in tropical rainforests.
All year, the temperature is in the range of 21°C and 30°C.
There is lots of rain/precipitation in tropical rainforests. For example, there's roughly 80 inches (2,000mm) of rainfall each year in the Amazon rainforest.

Rainforests have up to 80 inches of rainfall each year.
This heavy rain washes away minerals and nutrients from the soil.
This means that the soil left behind is infertile (bad for crop growth).
One layer of soil on the rainforest floor is fertile and nutrient-rich, but this does not extend deep into the soil further underground.

The climate is almost the same in all months, so plants grow all year. Most plants in rainforests are evergreen (and don't shed their leaves in winter).
There is a battle for sunlight because trees put each other in the shade (and trees need sunlight to grow). Because of this, trees grow to be very tall (up to 46 metres high).
There is interdependence between the vegetation living on the forest floor. For example, plants called epiphytes (vegetation or plants that live off and grow on other plants) are common.

Rainforests are full of biodiversity.
Mammals like Gorillas (in the Congo), Jaguars (in the Amazon rainforest) and Sloths (in Central America) live in rainforests.
Reptiles and amphibians like frogs, snakes, lizards, and crocodiles inhabit tropical rainforests.
There are diverse insect and bird species in rainforests.
Many of these animals have adapted by evolution & natural selection to survive in the tropical rainforest biome.

The Uncontacted Indians are a tribe living in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil.
They survive by hunting animals, eating the fish, vegetables, pulses, and berries that grow in the rainforest.

Which of the following describes the climate of tropical rainforests?
Which of the following does NOT describe the conditions in tropical rainforests?
How would you describe most of the plants found in tropical rainforests?