Biomes is a documentary series created by GeoDivide, which explores our planet with beautiful high-quality documentaries including the latest in timelapse and drone technology.
Tropical forests offer the greatest biodiversity of any area of Earth with over half of all plant and animal species. They are the “lungs of the world – absorbing more CO2 and producing more oxygen than any other”. A product of constant heat and abundant rain, it’s no wonder that plants grow here more vigorously than in any other biome. But it is also the biome that is under the greatest threat. Known as jungle, selva, or rainforest, these regions are in fact two distinct biomes – the evergreen and seasonal forests of the tropics.
Tropical forests are basically found in two types – the classic rainforest that has hardwood evergreen trees, and the “dry” forest or seasonal forest that sheds its leaves in the dry season.
A typical tropical forest in cross section has these layers:
- Forest floor
- Understory
- Canopy
- Emergent
The amount of biomass in these layers varies depending on the amount and patterns of rainfall, with the canopy being thickest in the rainforest. The forest floor becomes thicker as the canopy thins.
Tropical forests are found all around the equatorial regions, including:
- Central America and the Caribbean
- The Amazon Basin of South America
- West Africa and the Congo Basin
- The Indian Subcontinent
- Southeast Asia and the southern coast of China
- The archipelagos of The Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia
- The north-west coasts of Australia, and most Pacific islands including Fiji and Hawai’i
The tropical forests are under greater threat than at any time, as they are cut down to make way for agriculture.