Tropical Rainforest Biome

Tropical Rain Forest
The Tropical Rainforest is a very diverse Biome. Being diverse means that many different types of animals, plants and climates. It is in my personal opinion the greatest biome that exists in today’s world. This biome is home to 50% of the plants and animals on the Earth. The Tropical Rainforest is present on just 2% of the world.
The Rainforest is home to many different species of animals. Some of them include butterflies, beetles, spiders, ticks, worms, snakes, lizards, jaguars, sloths, and, howler monkeys.Blue morphos (butterfly) live in the tropical forests of Latin America from Mexico to Colombia. Adults spend most of their time on the forest floor and in the lower shrubs and trees of the understory with their wings
folded. However, when looking for mates, the blue morpho will fly through all layers of the forest. Humans most commonly see morphos in clearings and along streams where their bright blue wings are most visible. Pilots flying over rainforests have even encountered large groups of blue morphos above the treetops, warming themselves in the sun. The blue morpho’s entire lifespan lasts only 115 days, which means most of their time is spent eating and reproducing.Beetles are the world’s most diverse insect, and with over 360,000 different types, there are more different beetles than any other animal. Rainforest beetles are exceptionally diverse containing the largest beetles on Earth, such as the goliath beetle of tropical Africa or the titan beetle of the Amazon Rainforest.The main spiders of the rainforest to fascinate Darwin were the social spiders. They can build large webs engulfing entire trees and work together to bring down prey many times their size. Social spiders are generally very small, so we are talking locusts as opposed to movie style people eaters. In the Amazon, these spiders can easily be spotted in hammock shaped webs along tributaries of the Amazon River.Jaguars are the largest of South America's big cats. They once roamed from the southern tip of that continent north to the region surrounding the U.S.-Mexico border. Today significant numbers of jaguars are found only in remote regions of South and Central America—particularly in the Amazon Basin.Sloths are extremely slow-moving mammals found in the rainforest canopies of Central and South America. There are two species of sloths:two-toed and three-toed. Most sloths are about the size of a small dog and they have short, flat flat heads. Their hair is grayish brown but, at times they look grey-green in color because they move so slowly that tiny camouflaging algae grow all over their coats.
Plants are abundant in the tropical rainforest. There are approximately 10 million species of animals, plants and insects known to man and more than half of them call the rainforest home. There are approximately 3000 fruits that grow in the rainforest that are edible. Many plants around the world have medicinal qualities. The types of plants in the rainforest are Heliconia Flower, Rubber Tree, Orchids, Cacao, Giant Water Lilies, Passion Fruit Flower, Bromeliads, Monkey Brush Vine, Banana Tree, Coffee Plant (Coffea), This Heliconia Flower is known as the Hanging Lobster Claw. This flower is bright in color and varies in its shape. Known for their characteristically long structure, heliconia plants range from 0.5 to nearly 4.5 meters (1.5–15 feet) tall depending on the species and their leaves are 15–300 cm (6 in-10 ft) in size. They require warm and humid conditions to grow, thus being prominent in the tropical regions of the world. Hummingbirds rely on Heliconia plants for food and nesting, and they are also the main pollinators of the plant. Economically, the rubber tree is one of the most important trees in the Amazon rainforest for indigenous peoples. The rubber tree’s sap is latex, and it is still used today in the modern processing of rubber. The rubber tree can reach a height of up to 100 feet (30 m). The inner bark of the tree oozes latex when cut or damaged. It's quite a unique sight to see. Originally this plant was native to the Amazon rainforest, however seeds were eventually illegally smuggled to Southeast Asia where the tree successfully propagated. The orchid flower is known as one of nature’s most exquisite flowers. They are also the largest family of flowers in the entire world (about 30,000 different species). Orchids grow in all shapes and sizes, and because of their adaptable nature, they grow in almost all climates around the world, except cold! Orchids, like many flowers, depend on insects and birds for pollination. The conservation of the rainforest is vital for their existence.Despite being one the world’s favorite desserts, the cacao plant is also a superfood that is loaded with health benefits. Make raw cacao part of your regular diet to benefit from natural energy, mental alertness and focus. Cacao also has more calcium than cow’s milk and is the highest plant-based source of iron. It’s full of magnesium for a healthy heart and brain. The coffee plant resembles a bush and can grow up to 30 feet tall. Coffee flowers are very small and fragrant, helping to attract insects for pollination. After the flower falls off of the plant, little berries begin to grow. Inside these berries lie the valuable coffee beans which make them one of the most economically important species in the world.
In an average year in a tropical rain forest, the climate is very humid because of all the rainfall, which amounts to about 250 cm per year.
The rain forest has lots of rain because it is very hot and wet. This climate is found near the equator. That means that there is more direct sunlight hitting the land and sea there than anywhere else. The sun warms the land and sea and the water evaporates into the air. The warm air can hold a lot of water vapor. As the air rises, it cools. That means it can hold less water vapor. Then as warm meets cold, condensation takes place and the vapor forms droplets, and clouds form. The clouds then produce rain. It rains more than ninety days a year and the strong sun usually shines between the storms. The water cycle repeats often along the equator. The main plants in this biome are trees. A lot of the rain that falls on the rainforest never reaches the ground. It stays on the trees because the leaves act as a shield, and some rain never gets past the trees to the smaller plants and grounds below. Trees in this climate reach a height of more than 164 feet. They form a canopy. The forest floor is called understory. The canopy also keeps sunlight from reaching the plants in the understory. Between the canopy and understory is a lower canopy made up of smaller trees. These plants do receive some filtered
sunlight.