Rainforests are very dense, warm, wet forests. They are havens for millions of plants and animals.

Rainforests are extremely important in the ecology of the Earth. The plants of the rainforest generate much of the Earth's oxygen. These plants are also very important to people in other ways; many are used in new drugs that fight disease and illness.

Different animals and plants live in different parts of the rainforest. Scientists divide the rainforest into strata (zones) based on the living environment. Starting at the top, the strata are:

EMERGENTS: Giant trees that are much higher than the average canopy height. It houses many birds and insects.
CANOPY: The upper parts of the trees. This leafy environment is full of life in a tropical rainforest and includes: insects, birds, reptiles, mammals, and more.
UNDERSTORY: A dark, cool environment under the leaves but over the ground.
FOREST FLOOR: Teeming with animal life, especially insects. The largest animals in the rainforest generally live here.

^ Other interesting data ^ | [[Animals of the rainforest]] | | [[Where are Rainforests?]] | | [[Rainfall]] | | [[Temperature]] | | [[The Importance of Rainforest]] | | [[People Living in Tropical Rainforests]] | | [[Forest Management]] ---- ====== Help us to improve RainForest Wiki ====== If you have any comment about this site, please go to [[Comments]] and let us know about failures that you found in this site.