This document summarizes key aspects of tropical rainforests including their location in regions within 23.5 degrees north and south of the equator, poor nutrient-rich soil, constant high rainfall, and warm climate. It describes the nutrient and energy flows within tropical rainforests and lists some common plant and animal species. The document also discusses productivity, succession, and compares the human impacts on tropical rainforests in more developed countries versus less developed countries.

2. Two other names….
Coniferous Forest
 Jungle

3. Biome Location/Climate
 Majority of tropical rainforests are located
between the Tropic of Cancer(23.5 N) and the
Tropic of Capricorn(23.5 S).
 Poor soil with trace amount of nutrients
 Low sunlight at ground level
 Constant rain (250 cm per year)
 Intense Humidity
 Warm year-round

4. Nutrient Flow
 Most nutrients stored in living organisms - biomass (trees, foliage)
 Very small storage of nutrients on forest floor
 Biomass is decomposed rapidly
 Small storage of nutrients in soil, poor soil

5. Characteristic Animal
 Animals:
1. Toucan- colorful bird, eats fruit, massive bill.
2. Jaguar- a large, heavily built cat that has a yellowish-brown coat with black spots.
3. Piranha- mostly lives in packs, razor-sharp teeth, carnivorous fish, can grow up to
18 inches in length.
4. Anaconda- opportunistic feeder, land/water mobile reptile, can grow excess of 20
feet long.
5. Giant Centipede- venomous arthropod, one pair of legs per body segment,
omnivore.
6. Gorilla- largest living primate, large head, short neck, can weigh up to 600 lbs.

6. Characteristic Plant
 Plants:
1. Cacao tree- chocolate! Small
evergreen tree that grows between
13-26 feet tall.
2. Orchid- 3-petaled flowers with the
middle petal enlarged into a lip,
differs in color and size.
3. Bromeliad- short stems with
rosettes of stiff, usually spiny,
leaves.

7. Energy Flow
 Food chain: leaves  beetle  frog  anaconda

8. Energy Flow
 Producers: Strangler fig,
Coconut Trees, Banana
Trees, Bamboo Trees
 Primary Consumers:
Macaws, Monkeys, Fruit
Bats, Grasshoppers
 Secondary Consumers:
Vampire Bats, Iguanas,
Frogs
 Tertiary Consumers:
Python, Jaguar

9. Energy Flow
 Producers: 100%
 Primary
Consumers: 10%
 Secondary
Consumers: 1%
 Tertiary
Consumers: 0.1%

10. Productivity
 Gross Primary Productivity: Most energy and matter
within the forests are in the biomass. The canopy is
the most abundant area of biomass. Hence, the
most energy is created in the canopy via
photosynthesis.
 Limited productivity on forest floor, emergent layer,
and understory.

11. Productivity
 Net Primary Productivity: It is greater in
forests containing many different plant
species.
 The Estimated Net Productivity of a
Tropical Rainforest is 15,000
kilocalories/m^2/year.

12. Productivity
 Photosynthesis: high level of photosynthesis in
canopy level, lower levels do not receive as much
sunlight, lower rate.
 Emergent layer receives plenty of sunlight; however,
the excessive height limits growth.
 Understory and forest floor receive ample water and
nutrients, but not much sunlight.
 Reduced level of carbon dioxide in tropical
rainforests.

13. Succession
 Primary Succession begins with flooding happens from
the excessive rain. Topsoil is stripped, so the
environment must be provided with new/more nutrients.
 Secondary Succession begins on land where agriculture
and foliage have been removed(often slash and burn).
Farmers cut down plants and trees to grow their crops
and after a few years the soil becomes infertile. When the
farmer moves on secondary succession kicks in. Natural
processes take place, fertilizing the soil and small plants
and trees grow again until the forest has grown
back(takes hundreds of years).

14. Human Impact (MDC)
 Massive amounts of carbon loss in
atmosphere due to deforestation
(40%).
 Higher percentage of wildfires – more
canopy exposure from cut down trees
dries out the forest, leaving it more
prone to wildfires.

15. Human Impact (LDC)
 Less available crops – slash
and burn is used ineffectively
in LDC’s and induces poor
soil with no crops.
 Organism exploitation- people
in LDC rainforests often hunt
for food and fur within the
confines of the forest,
exploiting certain species.

16. Compare Difference
 In an MDC Tropical Rainforest, society tends to take
advantage of their resource to improve their already
comfortable way of living, while in an LDC Tropical
Rainforest resources are being run out due to the
fact that the people have no other place to get them.