Tropical Rainforest Characteristics Soil
When the soil is acidic there is little difference and therefore little absorption of nutrients from the soil.
Tropical rainforest characteristics soil. Only about 20 of tropical soils are suitable for agriculture. The recurring features of rainforests are basically the following. The soil is thin and poor in nutrients.
There are 4 layers of soil in the tropical rain forest. The type of clay particles present in tropical rainforest soil has a poor ability to trap nutrients and stop them from washing away. Climatic conditions in tropical rainforests have an average of 27 degrees annually and an average rainfall of approximately 200cm with a permanently high humidity.
Very high annual rainfall high average temperatures nutrient-poor soil and high levels of biodiversity species richness. Due to erosion over hundreds of millions of years white and sandy soils can be found in some parts of the Amazon River Basin. During the 100 million years rain wash the minerals of the soil out which make the soil acidic and poor in nutrients.
Due to the high humid temperatures in tropical rainforests it speeds up and has a rapid fast growing. The soils of tropical rainforests are characterized by rapid recycling of fallen leaves and other organic matter due to the large biomass of the rainforest. The roots of plants rely on an acidity difference between the roots and the soil in order to absorb nutrients.
Ground level - contains less vegetation due to the dark damp conditions a thick layer of decomposing leavesand the. A tropical rainforest is made up of the following layers. In the soil in a tropical rainforest there is usually a low level of minerals nutrients and organic matter present.
The top layer is made up of a thin layer of mulch like substance layered in organic matter from animals above it. Some tropical trees have developed huge buttress roots to absorb nutrients from the soil. Most of the soil is not very fertile.