Introduction
Tropical
Rainforest, also spelled tropical rain forest, luxuriant forest is found in wet
tropical uplands and lowlands around the Equator. Tropical rainforests, which
worldwide make up one of Earth’s largest biomes (major life zones), are
dominated by broad-leaved trees that form a dense upper canopy (layer of
foliage) and contain a diverse array of vegetation and other life. Contrary to
common thinking, not all tropical rainforests occur in places with high,
constant rainfall; for example, in the so-called “dry rainforests” of
northeastern Australia, the climate is punctuated by a dry season, which
reduces the annual precipitation.
Salient
Features Of The Tropical Rainforest Ecosystem
Tropical
rainforests today represent a treasure trove of biological heritage, and they
also serve as sinks for more than 50 percent of all atmospheric carbon dioxide
absorbed by plants annually. They not only retain many primitive plant and
animal species but also are communities that exhibit unparalleled biodiversity
and a great variety of ecological interactions. The tropical rainforest of
Africa was the habitat in which the ancestors of humans evolved, and it is
where the nearest surviving human relatives—chimpanzees and gorillas—live
still. Tropical rainforests supplied a rich variety of food and other resources
to indigenous peoples, who, for the most part, exploited this bounty without
degrading the vegetation or reducing its range to any significant degree.
Threats To
Tropical Rainforest Ecosystem
Not until the
past century, however, has widespread destruction of tropical forests occurred.
Regrettably, tropical rainforests and tropical deciduous forests are now being
destroyed at a rapid rate in order to provide resources such as timber and to
create land that can be used for other purposes, such as cattle grazing. Today
tropical forests, more than any other ecosystem, are experiencing habitat
alteration and species extinction on a greater scale and at a more rapid pace
than at any other time in the history.
Keywords:
Tropical forests, Tropical Rainforests, Types of Tropical Rainforests, Wardah
Razzaq
About the
Author: Wardah Razzaq is an Environmentalist, a Certified Climate Reality
Leader and Mentor, Green Blogger, Environmental and Climate Change Activist,
Environmental and Climate Writer/Author, Researcher, and an International
Mentor at the New York Academy of Sciences. Her ambition is to raise awareness
among the masses regarding various environmental issues and about their
multifarious impacts and solutions via my piece of writings.
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