Biomes ‒ Tropical Rainforest

**Tropical rainforest** is a biome located in Earth's equatorial regions, characterized by a consistently warm and humid climate that supports an incredible diversity of plant and animal species. Scientists estimate that more than half of the world's species inhabit these rainforests. Vegetation in tropical rainforests grows in three distinct layers, creating what is known as the vertical stratification of the forest. The lowest layer, called the forest floor (undergrowth) reaches up to about 10 meters and includes herbaceous and shrub levels. Plant growth here is limited by insufficient sunlight, much of it being blocked by higher layers. The middle layer of the tropical rainforest extends from 10 to 36 meters, with a dense canopy of tree crowns that capture most of the sunlight. This layer supports a wide variety of species. The top layer comprises isolated, mature trees that rise to heights of 36 to 50 meters. These towering trees often have umbrella-shaped crowns, tall branchless trunks, and extensive root systems that overgrow the rest of the forest. Tropical rainforests are found mainly in three regions: the Amazon Basin in South America (Amazon Tropical Rainforest), Central Africa (Congo Tropical Rainforest) and South and Southeast Asia, including the rainforests of the Indian subcontinent's peninsulas. In recent decades, tropical rainforests have been rapidly declining. The main causes of deforestation are extensive logging and the expansion of agricultural land. This destruction has severe consequences: biodiversity is reduced, soil erosion increases, making land less suitable for long-term agriculture, and water retention in the landscape declines. The loss of rainforest also threatens indigenous communities that rely on these ecosystems.