Tropical rainforest

Introduction
Origin
Environment
Biota
- Flora
- Fauna
Population and community development and structure
- General structure of the rainforest
- Relationships between the flora and fauna
Biological productivity

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

World map using color coding to show the distribution of major floral kingdoms, subkingdoms, and regions. Key floral kingdoms include Boreal (green), Neotropical (pink), Paleotropical (yellow), South African or Capensic (purple), Australian (orange), and Antarctic (blue). Boundaries for subkingdoms, regions, and divisions are marked with different colored lines, and major regions such as Indoafrican, North American, and Malesian are labeled across continents.

World map using color codes to show the distribution of tropical rainforests, dry or deciduous forests, and deforested areas in the early 21st century. Dense green highlights rainforests in regions like the Amazon Basin, Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and parts of Central America, while yellow and orange indicate dry forests and areas affected by deforestation.

Smoke rises among scattered trees during slash and burn forest clearance in the Amazon rainforest, with charred ground and partially burned vegetation visible.

Behold the multitude of Amazonian arthropods including spiders, scorpions, beetles, and mantids

Quizzes

Chutes d'Ekom - a waterfall on the Nkam river in the rainforest near Melong, in the western highlands of Cameroon in Africa.

Ecosystems

Related Questions

How are tropical rainforests different from temperate rainforests?
How are tropical rainforests different from tropical dry forests?
How can tropical rainforest clearing affect rainfall in the Amazon basin?
How do birds help pollinate and disperse seeds in tropical rainforests?
How do clouds and humidity affect the climate of tropical rainforests?
How do fruit bats disperse seeds in tropical rainforests?
How do fungi help recycle nutrients in tropical rainforests?
How do logging and forest fires make tropical rainforests more vulnerable to drought?
How do mountains and altitude affect tropical rainforest vegetation?
How do pioneer trees grow after a gap opens in the rainforest canopy?
How do shade-tolerant tree species survive beneath an unbroken canopy?
How do strangler figs grow around host trees?
How do trees compete for light in tropical rainforests?
How does heavy rainfall cause nutrients to leach from tropical rainforest soils?
How does rainfall determine whether a tropical forest is evergreen or deciduous?
How does slash-and-burn agriculture contribute to tropical deforestation?
How does the rainforest canopy change temperature and wind near the forest floor?
How much rain does a tropical rainforest usually receive each year?
How much sunlight reaches the floor of a tropical rainforest?
How tall can the upper canopy of a tropical rainforest grow?
Which climate conditions allow tropical rainforests to grow?
Which tropical rainforest plants grow as epiphytes?
Why are gaps in the canopy important for rainforest regeneration?
Why are tropical rainforest soils often red or yellow?
Why are tropical rainforest soils usually low in nutrients?
Why can forest fragments be too small for large territorial animals?
Why do many rainforest animals use sound more than sight to communicate?
Why do many tropical rainforest trees have shallow roots?
Why does dead plant material decompose rapidly in tropical rainforests?
Why does farmland cleared from tropical rainforest often become unproductive after a few years?
Why is seed dispersal away from parent trees important in tropical rainforests?

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External Websites

Natural History Museum - Tropical rainforests: EarthÂ’s richest ecosystems
BBC - Bitesize - Tropical rainforest biomes
The University of Michigan's Global Change - The Tropical Rain Forest

Tropical rainforest

ecology

Also known as: tropical rain forest

Written by

Jeremy M.B. Smith

Associate Professor of Geography and Planning, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales. Station Leader, 1996 Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition to Macquarie Island, Australian...

Jeremy M.B. Smith

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 12, 2026 •History

Tropical rainforest, luxuriant forest found in wet tropical uplands and lowlands around the Equator. Tropical rainforests, which worldwide make up one of Earth’s largest biomes (major life zones), are dominated by broad-leaved trees that form a dense upper canopy (layer of foliage) and contain a diverse array of vegetation and other life. Contrary to common thinking, not all tropical rainforests occur in places with high, constant rainfall; for example, in the so-called “dry rainforests” of...

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