Similarities Between Tropical Rainforest And Savannah

The tropical rainforest and tropical savannah are two of the ten major global terrestrial biomes of the world. While they are both located on or near equatorial regions, varying differences in climate, biodiversity, ecology, and soils characterize each region. Even though both are under the larger categorization of being “tropical”, the similarities end there, as each biome has its unique features that set it apart. However, these unique characteristics may become the source of a biome’s downfall, particularly for the tropical rainforest, as climate change continues to affect the planet. As humans, it is important to analyze the affect we make on the planet, especially in the various ecosystems that depend on a delicate balance between temperature, carbon dioxide levels, and precipitation which affect later climate patterns .
To begin, a comparison should first be made between tropical rainforests and tropical savannahs. In terms of climate, the tropical
The rainforest holds 50% of the world’s species, and is vertically structured based on the canopy level. Common species include lianas, orchids, bromeliads, ferns, sloths, monkeys, snakes, and parrots. However, in the tropical savannah there is a lack of tall vegetation, and large land animals such as zebras, giraffes, elephants, cheetahs, and antelope roam the grass plains. Furthermore, the ecology of both regions differ as well. While the interaction of the organisms in a tropical rainforest are more separated into four regions- overstory, middle canopy, understory, and forest floor, the savannah does not have this distinct segmentation. Rather, savannah shrubs have waxy surfaces with large underground root networks which combat fire damage, and work amongst a horizontal ecological structure. This allows the ecology of the tropical savannah to be more uniform, while tropical rainforests contain diversity amongst each