Plants of equatorial forests. Features and meaning

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:43

Plants of equatorial forests cannot but arouse increased interest not only among specialists, but also among ordinary inquisitive travelers from all over the world. And this is not surprising.

Agree, many of us tend to visit overseas countries just for the sake of these exotic representatives of the flora. For example, the plants of the equatorial forests of South America or Africa are very different from those herbs, flowers, trees and shrubs that we are used to seeing outside the window of our hometown. They look, smell and bloom completely differently, which means they cause mixed emotions. They want to take a closer look, touch and photograph.

Plants of equatorial forests is a topic that can be talked about indefinitely. This article is aimed at acquainting readers with the most characteristic properties and living conditions of these representatives of the world of flora.

General information

First of all, let's try to define such a concept as humid equatorial forests. Plants that serve as habitatsregions with a pronounced equatorial, subequatorial and tropical climate inhabit this type of natural zone. It is worth paying attention to the fact that in this case, not only herbs, but also numerous trees and shrubs can be attributed to various representatives of the flora.

At first glance, it's hard to even imagine, but there is up to 2000 or even 10,000 mm of precipitation per year.

These land areas are characterized by huge biodiversity, it is here that 2/3 of all plants and animals of our planet live. By the way, not everyone knows that millions of species are still not described.

There is not enough light on the lower tier in tropical rainforests, but the undergrowth is usually weak, so a person can easily move on it. However, in the event that for some reason the deciduous canopy is absent or weakened, the lower tier can quickly become covered with impenetrable thickets of vines and intricately woven trees. This is called the jungle.

Equatorial forest climate

Animals and plants of the equatorial forests, as we have already said, are diverse. This is due to the current climate, which means that we need to talk about it in more detail.

This zone stretches along the equator with a shift to the south. The average year-round temperature is 24-28 degrees. The climate is quite hot and humid, although the seasons are implicit.

This area belongs to the area of low pressure, and precipitation falls hereevenly throughout the year. Such climatic conditions contribute to the development of evergreen vegetation, which is characterized by the so-called complex forest structure.

The flora of the equatorial territories of the planet

As a rule, moist evergreen forests, located in narrow strips or peculiar spots along the equator, are diverse and have a huge number of species. It is hard to imagine that today there are more than a thousand of them in the Congo Basin and on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea.

The plants of the equatorial forests of the upper tier are represented by giant ficuses and palm trees, of which there are over 200 species. The lower ones grow mainly bananas and tree ferns.

The largest plants are often entwined with vines, blooming orchids. By the way, it is worth noting that sometimes in the equatorial forests there are up to six tiers. Among the plants there are also epiphytes - mosses, lichens, ferns.

But in the depths of the forest you can find the largest flower of our planet - Rafflesia Arnoldi, the transverse diameter of which reaches 1 meter.

Animal world of the equatorial forest

It is unlikely that anyone will be surprised if we note that the fauna of the equatorial forests, above all, is rich in monkeys. Monkeys, chimpanzees, gorillas, howler monkeys and bonobos are especially common and in huge numbers here.

From terrestrial inhabitants it is often possible to meet small ungulates, for example, inIn Africa, tourists often admire okapi, African deer and other unusual animals. The most common predators of the selva of South America, of course, are the jaguar and puma. But in the African tropics, the owners are fast leopards and huge tigers.

Due to the humid environment, frogs, lizards and insects are found in the equatorial forests. The most common birds are hummingbirds, parrots and toucans.

As for reptiles, who doesn't know about the pythons of Africa and Asia or the anaconda from the Amazon jungle? In addition, poisonous snakes, alligators, caimans and other no less dangerous representatives of the fauna are common in the equatorial forests.

What will happen if the plants of the equatorial forests are destroyed?

During the deforestation of the equatorial forest, man, sometimes without realizing it, destroys the habitat of many animals and takes away food from termites. In addition, this forest also holds back the onset of deserts that are detrimental to all living things.

But that's not all. The fact is that humid equatorial forests, although they occupy a relatively small part of the Earth, are the so-called green lungs of our planet. It is here that about 1/3 of the Earth's oxygen is produced, so the destruction of the equatorial forest will cause irreversible environmental consequences, including an increase in carbon dioxide. The latter, in turn, will lead to an increase in the average temperature, increase the likelihood of glacier melting, and therefore entail subsequentflooding many fertile lands.