Tropical Rainforest

The tropical rainforest is generally considered the richest, most diverse ecosystem on Earth. Its diversity means it is endlessly fascinating for biologists and naturalists. And there are probably more questions about the rainforest than any other natural history subject. Hopefully some of the more obvious ones are answered here. One of the most common questions is

What is tropical rain forest? (a written webpage answer)
What is tropical rain forest? (a short ecosystem guides documentary video answer)

Tropical rainforest is found around the equatorial bulge of the planet. About half of it occurs in South and Central America.
Another quarter of the world's rainforest occurs in south-east Asia.
There is also tropical rainforest in New Guinea.
A small amount also occurs in north-east Australia.

When people are planning to explore the tropical forests of the world, they usually want to know about the weather and climate.
How do you cope with the hot and sticky climate?

When exploring this habitat, most visitors are confined to the darker floor of the forest. If a large opening does appear in the canopy, there is an explosion of plant growth. Once a seedling starts growing, it may develop into a huge tree. And all around and on top of the canopy of these rain forest trees grows a huge range of other plants. These epiphytes and vines are one of the defining characteristics of tropical rain forest.

People often expect the jungle to be full of big, bright flowers. They are usually more subtle than that.

Generally, animals are difficult to spot in the rainforest. In documentaries, we spend months filming wildlife that will all get squished into a few minutes of footage.

Many creatures are virtually invisible, such as the cryptic stick insects.
But if you practise some patience and luck, smaller creatures can be spotted regularly, such as frogs. The amphibians, which many of us take for granted, are amazing creatures.

Birds can also be difficult to spot in the rainforest.

What are birds of paradise?

And with all the worry about rainforest destruction and climate change, people often ask: What about global warming and the rainforest?

One of the major ongoing problems of the world is the continual clearing of rainforest and other natural ecosystems. The following link is to a blog written by a naturalist friend of mine who also works as a guide, and has a background in horticulture. Through his experience and knowledge, he offers simple and practical solutions, outlined in the following blog webpages:

Reafforestation by David Clode

And finally, the question you have all been dying to ask, and I have the answer...!
What is the best guide to the tropical rainforest of Australia?