Tropical Rainforest Characteristics Soil

The soil is thin and poor in nutrients.

Tropical rainforest characteristics soil. The forests are located in the tropical wet humid regions with an average annual rainfall of around 200-225 cm. The type of clay particles present in tropical rainforest soil has a poor ability to trap nutrients and stop them from washing away. During the 100 million years rain wash the minerals of the soil out which make the soil acidic and poor in nutrients.

When the soil is acidic there is little difference and therefore little absorption of nutrients from the soil. There are 4 layers of soil in the tropical rain forest. Due to heavy rainfall.

Tropical rainforests are characterized by rainfall and evergreen species. The last layer of soil is made up of rock and this makes up the majority of the soils content almost half. This high rate of decomposition is the result of phosphorus levels in the soils precipitation high temperatures and the extensive microorganism communities.

The soil is highly acidic. Ground level - contains less vegetation due to the dark damp conditions a thick layer of decomposing leavesand the. In the soil in a tropical rainforest there is usually a low level of minerals nutrients and organic matter present.

Only about 20 of tropical soils are suitable for agriculture. A thin layer of fertile soil is found at the surface where the dead leaves decompose. 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.

Very high annual rainfall high average temperatures nutrient-poor soil and high levels of biodiversity species richness. Despite the amount of vegetation in the rainforest the soil contains less organic matter than that of temperate forests because the warm humid conditions encourage faster decay and recycling of nutrients back into living forest. Transpiration from the evergreen trees results.