By: Sara Benzer Tropical Rain Forest

Precipitation and Temperature Range Terperature The temperature in a rain forest rarely gets higher than 93 °F or drops below 68 °F Precipitation An average of 50 to 260 inches of rain falls yearly.

Soil Characteristics Only a thin layer of decaying organic matter is found, unlike in temperate deciduous forests. Most tropical rainforest soils relatively poor in nutrients. Millions of years of weathering and torrential rains have washed most of the nutrients out of the soil.

Plant Adaptations Plant survival in a tropical rainforest depends on the plant's ability to tolerate constant shade or to adapt strategies to reach sunlight. Fungus is a good example of a plant that flourishes in warm, dark places created by the forest canopy and understory. The strangler fig has adapted. Its seeds are deposited on branches of host trees by birds and small animals that have eaten the fruit of the strangler fig. The seeds sprout and send a long root to the ground. The root rapidly increases in diameter and successfully competes for the water and nutrients in the soil. As the strangler fig matures, branches and leaves grow upwards creating a canopy that blocks sunlight from the host tree. Additional roots are sent out and wrap around the host tree, forming a massive network of roots that strangle and eventually kill the host

Animal Adaptations Because there are so many animals competing for food, many animals have adapted by learning to eat a particular food eaten by no other animal.  Toucans have adapted by developing long, large bill. This adaptation allows this bird to reach fruit on branches that are too small to support the bird's weight. Sloth's use a behavioral adaptation and camouflage to survive in the rainforest. It moves very, very slowly and spends most of its time hanging upside down from trees.

Locations Tropical rainforests are located in a band around the equator (Zero degrees latitude), mostly in the area between the Tropic of Cancer (23.5° N latitude) and the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5° S latitude). This 3,000 mile (4800 km) wide band is called the "tropics."

Special Characteristics and Sensitivites Rainforest's are home to half of the Earth's plant and animal species. They are home to tribal cultures that have survived successfully in the forests for many thousands of years. There are over 2,500 different vine species in the tropical rainforest. Some have a thickness that equals the circumference of a human being. Most of the animals living in the tropical rainforest live in the trees. There they can find all of their necessities and rarely have to come down to the floor of the forest.

Citations http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/rainforest.htmt http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/rainforest/Where.shtml http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/rforestP.html http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/rforest/explore/layers.htm http://www.softschools.com/facts/biomes/tropical_rainforest_biome_facts/160/