Ecosystem ecology Why are rain forests wet and deserts dry? Compare and contrast biotic aspects of these very different terrestrial ecosystems. Solution The major difference between each type of ecosystem is the climate.Tropical rainforests cover the area between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer and tend to be warm and wet.Deserts, on the other hand,are hot and dry and have very little annual rainfall. Tropical rainforests are found only near the Earth\'s equator,which is also one of the reasons why they are humid.Being near the Equator,tropical rainforests receive more radiation from the sun than any other ecosystem on earth.This is one of the main reasons for their extreme biodiversity.Deserts occur at all latitudes. While most tropical rainforests typically receive from 60 to 160 inches of rain annually, the warmest tropical forests can receive as much as 400 inches of rain.In comparison,deserts are defined largely by their lack of precipitation,although colder deserts do experience snowfall.On average, deserts can receive half an inch to 15 inches of annual rainfall. Tropical rainforests have the greatest diversity of animals of any biome,with about half of all animal species in the world living in tropical forests.This incredible species richness is due largely to the combination of a tropical climate and high,year-round rainfall,which provide optimal growing conditions for the largest number of plant species.Deserts are less than ideal environments for animals;with scarce sources of water and food,as well as very high temperatures. The desert biome receives twice as much radiation, but also lose twice as much at night in comparison with more humid areas such as a Rainforest.Deserts tend to be warm because of vegetation, which causes water to evaporate.Absorbed sunlight by the plants goes straight into the ground and causes it to warm..

1. Ecosystem ecology
Why are rain forests wet and deserts dry? Compare and contrast biotic aspects of these very
different terrestrial ecosystems.
Solution
The major difference between each type of ecosystem is the climate.Tropical rainforests cover
the area between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer and tend to be warm and
wet.Deserts, on the other hand,are hot and dry and have very little annual rainfall.
Tropical rainforests are found only near the Earth's equator,which is also one of the reasons
why they are humid.Being near the Equator,tropical rainforests receive more radiation from the
sun than any other ecosystem on earth.This is one of the main reasons for their extreme
biodiversity.Deserts occur at all latitudes.
While most tropical rainforests typically receive from 60 to 160 inches of rain annually, the
warmest tropical forests can receive as much as 400 inches of rain.In comparison,deserts are
defined largely by their lack of precipitation,although colder deserts do experience snowfall.On
average, deserts can receive half an inch to 15 inches of annual rainfall.
Tropical rainforests have the greatest diversity of animals of any biome,with about half of all
animal species in the world living in tropical forests.This incredible species richness is due
largely to the combination of a tropical climate and high,year-round rainfall,which provide
optimal growing conditions for the largest number of plant species.Deserts are less than ideal
environments for animals;with scarce sources of water and food,as well as very high
temperatures.
The desert biome receives twice as much radiation, but also lose twice as much at night in
comparison with more humid areas such as a Rainforest.Deserts tend to be warm because of
vegetation, which causes water to evaporate.Absorbed sunlight by the plants goes straight into
the ground and causes it to warm.