Biology Blog: Blog #7 - Differences of Two Biomes

Compare and contrast two biomes. Describe them in detail. Include pictures of plants and animals you are likely to see.

Tropical rain forests are home to more species than all other biomes combined. The leafy tops of tall trees extends from fifty to eighty meters above the forests floor, which forms a dense covering called the canopy. In the shade below the canopy, a second layer of shorter tree and vines forms an understory. Organic matter that falls to the forest floor quickly decomposes, and the nutrients are recycled. Tropical dry forests grow in places where rainfall is highly seasonal rather than year-round. During the dry season, nearly all the trees drop their leaves to conserve water. A tree that sheds its leaves during a particular season each year is called the deciduous. The abiotic factors of the tropical rain forests are hot and wet year-round and thin, nutrient-poor soils. Its dominant plants are broad-leaved evergreen trees, ferns, large woody vines and climbing plants, and orchids and bromeliads. Its dominant wildlife are herbivores such as sloths, tapirs, and capybaras, predators such as jaguars, anteaters, monkeys, birds such as toucans, parrots, and parakeets, insects such as butterflies, ants, and beetles, piranhas and other freshwater fishes, reptiles such as caymans, boa constrictors, and anacondas. Its geographic distribution are parts of South and Central America, Southeast Asia, parts of Africa, southern India, and northeastern Australia. The abiotic factors of the tropical dry forests are generally warm year-round, alternating wet and dry seasons, and rich soils subject to erosion. Its dominant plants are tall, deciduous trees that form a dense canopy during the wet season, drought-tolerant orchids and bromeliads, and aloes and other succulents. Its dominant wildlife are tigers, monkeys, herbivores such as elephants, Indian rhinoceroses, hog deer, birds such as great pied horn-bills, pied harriers, and spot-billed pelicans, insects such as termites, and reptiles such as snakes and monitor lizards. Its geographic distribution are parts of Africa, South and Central America, Mexico, India, Australia, and tropical islands.

TROPICAL RAIN FOREST ANIMAL/PLANT