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3.1.2.2 Tropical rainforests (part a) GapFill

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Tropical rainforests are located near the equator - usually within  10306015°. Examples include the Amazon, western Africa, Indonesia / South East  AfricaAsiaEnglandAustralia and northern Australia. Here. the temperature is fairly constant all year round, barely changing by more than a couple of degrees - in the mid 20s, and rarely above  40352630°C. Precipitation is very high, upwards of 2,000 mm - that's 2 metres. Convectional rainfall often falls in the  morningsunriseafternoonsmall hours. The further from the equator, the greater the seasonality in terms of rainfall.

The  birdssnakestreespeople in the tropical rainforest have ideal growth conditions - they have a year-round growing season and have ample warmth, water and light (although they all have to compete for that light!). This means that most of the nutrients within rainforests are stored as  groundairsoilbiomass. In the warm and humid conditions, the  canopylitteremergentsub-soil layer is quickly broken down where nutrients are taken back up by the trees via the soil, or  dugbiomassdrainedleached downwards into the sub-soil by the heavy rainfall. While the soils are very thick (plenty of chemical weathering of the bedrock, they are relatively infertile and the top-soil layer is thin.

The number of species living in rainforests is the  highestmedianlowestsecond lowest on Earth! This is because there are a wide variety of niches, and the plants and animals are highly adapted to the conditions. There are lots on interconnections and dependencies between the plants and animals. The trees provide the habitats for many species, while animals can help out the trees - for example by spreading  insectsleavesseedswater. Trees provide dead material for decomposers, which release the nutrients back to the trees.

Rainforests are in a delicate balance, called an equilibrium. There are many threats to a forest. Some are not so obvious - such as  climate changepalm oil productionloggingcash-cropping which may increase the risk of drought and forest die-off in the Amazon. There are many direct threats including deforestation for timber, crops (including palm oil in Indonesia), ranching and mineral extraction, which can ultimately affect the water cycle. Small-scale  conservationindigenousprotectorcommercial tribes have lived in the forests. Their use is sustainable, however modern exploitation is unsustainable.

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72%