Ecosystems

Rain Forest

Generally, near the equator, in the evening, heavy storms accompanied by large amounts of rain fall every day. The temperature is rather high, without great variations during the year, and is accompanied by a remarkable humidity in the air. Thanks to this climate the trees find the ideal conditions for their development: consequently in the equatorial regions enormous tropical forests extend across the land. In a tropical rain forest we find the largest variety of plants and animals to be found in nature. Many leaves have a shape that suited to allow excess water to be channelled and drip away, while dozens of metres above the ground, the leaves of the taller trees join to form a green roof that is pierced only by trees that are as tall as twenty storey buildings. This green roof does not let much light pass, and there are plants that, in order to capture the light, grow on the trunk or on the branches of the taller plants. Here animals feed on nectar, fruit, seeds and leaves.