- What is the tropical forest?
- Characteristics of the tropical forest
- Relief of the tropical forest
- Tropical forest fauna
- Tropical forest flora
- Tropical forest climate
- Tropical forests in Mexico
We explain what the tropical forest is, its flora, fauna, relief, climate and other characteristics. Also, tropical forests in Mexico.
What is the tropical forest?
The woods Tropical are those plant accumulations that are located in the intertropical zone. They are adapted to weather warm of the tropics, varying instead with respect to its humidity. In some cases, such as the humid tropical forest, they are considered synonymous with the rain forest, famous for its gigantic biodiversity and richness in plant and animal species.
Thus, tropical forests can be of three types, according to their relationship with the humidity of the environment:
- Humid tropical forests. Of abundant and frequent rains, hot and humid climate, like the South American Amazon.
- Dry tropical forests. Semi-dense and with a lower humidity margin, composed of xerophilic and deciduous species.
- Monsoon tropical forests. Typical of the monsoon climate that alternates between a very rainy season and a dry season, it is considered the transitional forest between humid and dry.
Tropical forests occupy vast swaths of our continents and are essential for life in the planet. On the one hand, daily they release a large amount of oxygen to the atmosphere. On the other hand, they fix an important portion of the carbon of the gases of greenhouse (As the carbon dioxide).
However, they are in danger: deforestation, indiscriminate logging and climate change threaten to kill them. With them the vital wealth of these would be lost ecosystems, so large that many of its endemic species have not yet been discovered by the human being. It would be a tragedy if such a treasure were to be lost.
Characteristics of the tropical forest
It is a type of forest with a lot of lushness and a lot of height. It is composed of a wide variety of large-leaved, evergreen species, capable of maintaining the humidity of the environment even during the dry season.
These jungles stretch for miles and are characteristic of Central America, South America, Africa the east (especially Madagascar) and the Asia minor: Malaysia, Borneo or the Indochinese region: Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia.
Relief of the tropical forest
Tropical forests proliferate in diverse reliefs, both in plains, valleys and foothills, as in the mountainous slopes, where they present vegetal and climatic steps as the height increases, giving rise to forests of Mountain.
They tend to abound on the borders of rivers, lakes and it is not uncommon for them to give way to wetlands or mangroves as they approach the sea.
Tropical forest fauna
The biodiversity of tropical forests is unmatched, especially in the case of humid forests. Only certain marine coral reef ecosystems resemble it.
The amount of species so much of insects, arachnids, reptiles, amphibians, marsupials and mammals, as of birds of small, medium and large size. They even inhabit human beings more or less integrated into civilization, mainly on its external borders.
Among the species considered famous of the tropical forest are the South American toucans, the Asian orangutans, the tapir, the golden eagle, and even the devastating or grass-cutting ants. The cute spider or tarantula, as well as the spider monkey, are some of the fascinating species that inhabit these forests.
Tropical forest flora
The flora of the tropical forest is also diverse and high, lush and evergreen. The large branches and leaves absorb the intense sunlight, only 2% of which reaches the I usually, given the dense forest. This also provides the soil and the species decomposers from organic material hearty and a great layer of hummus.
The trees of the tropical forest reach up to 30 meters in height, and among them floral species predominate, so much so that it is estimated that 2/3 of all the flowers in the world are found in these forests.
The variety is enormous, reaching 100 different species in just one hectare of forest. However, we can mention orchids, bananas, rubber trees, bromeliads and poinsettias as typical plant species.
Tropical forest climate
The tropical climate is generally warm, with temperatures always above 18 ° C that reach the various degrees above 30 ° C. It is a very stable climate, without seasons that vary the temperature.
However, there is a rainy season and a dry season. Rainfall is abundant during the rainy season, reaching or exceeding 3000 mm of rain, and non-existent during the dry season, obviously.
Tropical forests in Mexico
The Mexican tropical forests are found towards the southeast of the country, extending towards the territory of Guatemala. In the states of Chiapas, Tabasco and Campeche, and in the Yucatan peninsula, these long stretches of jungle humid have a high number of species endemic.
There are many initiatives to protect these ecosystems from indiscriminate logging. It is estimated that in 1940 the Lacandon jungle covered some 15,000 square km, figures that today are far below.