Tropical Rainforest & Intertidal Zone

Tropical Rainforest O is an ecosystem type that occurs roughly

within the latitudes 28 degrees north or south of the equator

O Rainforests are home to half of all the living animal and plant species on the planet

O It is likely that there may be many millions of species of plants, insects and microorganisms still undiscovered in tropical rainforests.

Types of Tropical Rainforest

O Lowland equatorial evergreen rain forests: These forests occur in a belt around the equator.

O Moist deciduous and semi-evergreen seasonal forests: Some trees in these forests drop some or all of their leaves during the winter dry season.

O Montane rain forests: some of which are known as cloud forests

O Flooded forests

Forest StructureO Forest floor: Only plants adapted to low light can

grow in this regionO Understory Layer: is home to a number of birds,

small mammals, insects, reptiles, and predatorsO Canopy Layer: is the primary layer of the forest

forming a roof over the two remaining layers.O Emergent Layer: contains a small number of very

large trees, called emergent

INTERTIDAL ZONEO is the area that is above water at low

tide and under water at high tideO A typical rocky shore can be divided

into a spray zone or splash zone also known as the supratidal zone

O The intertidal zone is one of a number of marine biomes or habitats, including estuaries, neritic, surface and deep zones.

ZonationO Marine biologists and others divide

the intertidal region into three zones:1. Low 2. Middle3. High