What Are Tropical Rainforest Biotic Factors?

What Are Tropical Rainforest Biotic Factors?

Biotic factors of tropical rainforests around the world include many types of insects, plants and animals, including ferns, mosses, tree frogs and exotic birds. Rainforests on the Earth's surface come in many types, including cloud forests, dry forests and temperate forests, although tropical rainforests comprise the majority of rainforests and contain the largest amount of biodiversity. Tropical rainforests serve as home to over half of all living species, making them ripe with biotic factors.

Within the confines of tropical rainforests are orchids, bananas, coffee plants and hundreds of rare and endangered animal species. These biomes, like other ecosystems on Earth, include an assortment of tiny microorganisms and bacteria. From the forest floor to towering canopies, plants and animals make themselves at home in all parts of the rainforest.

Ground-dwelling plants include a variety of mosses and shrubs. Iguanas also live on forest floors and make their homes in the tropical rainforests of Madagascar, Fiji and, to a greater extent, Central and South America. Higher in the trees lie moths, bats and the red-eyed tree frog. These frogs live in the uppermost story, called the canopy. They reside in the tropical rainforests of Mexico, Honduras and Peru. Some species, like the strangler fig, have roots in the forest floor and grow to heights spanning multiple layers of the forest.

Rainforests have a plethora of plant species. Most often, the vegetation forms a distinct, layered cross section. Most of the tall trees form a continuous canopy that blocks most of the sunlight from penetrating below. Underneath the canopy, there is an understory layer of small trees, with small herbs and vegetation below the understory. A few trees grow above the level of the canopy, and they make up the emergent layer.

Rainforests are rich in many types of animals, but none are as numerous as the insects. Insects live in all layers of the rainforest, from the tallest emergent trees to the ground floor. Additionally, rainforests are rich in amphibians, especially frogs. Reptiles, mammals and birds are also numerous in the rainforest.

Rainforests are a haven for fungi and bacteria, as their constant warmth and high humidity provide perfect conditions for their growth.