Summary of this Biome
Covering less than 2 percent of the Earth's total surface area, the world's rainforests are home to 50 percent of the Earth's plants and animals. Rainforests can be found all over the world from as far north as Alaska and Canada to Latin America, Asia and Africa. A typical four-square-mile patch of rainforest contains as many as 1,500 flowering plants, 750 species of trees, 400 species of birds and 150 species of butterflies. Rain forests belong to the tropical wet climate group. The temperature in a rain forest rarely gets higher than 93 °F (34 °C) or drops below 68 °F (20 °C); average humidity is between 77 and 88%; rainfall is often more than 100 inches a year. There is usually a brief season of less rain. In monsoonal areas, there is a real dry season. Almost all rain forests lie near the equator. There are many species of plants and animals in the rainforest. A common estimate is that
approximately half of the world's animal species live in rainforests.
approximately half of the world's animal species live in rainforests.
Climatogram
Climatograms show monthly variations in only 2 climatic facors, precipitation and temperature. They are useful because a climatogram is a graph that averages weather in a Biome over a certain period of time. Rainforests have a tropical, wet climate which means its rarely ever dry in this biome. Tropical rainforest climates have no pronounced summer or winter; it is typically hot and wet throughout the year and rainfall is both heavy and frequent. An example of an animal adapting to this environment is that tasmanian pendemelons cope with the rainforest's cool temperatures by developing a more rounded body which helps conserve heat. Another example is that cameolons camoflauge themselves by blending in with their surroundings to protect themselves from predators. An example of plants adapting to the rainforest climate is the bark on the trees becoming smoother. The smoothness of the bark mke it difficult for other plants to grow on their surface.