The rainforest floor is often dark and humid due to constant shade from the canopy’s leaves. Despite its constant shade, the rainforest floor is an important part of the forest ecosystem.
The forest floor is where decomposition takes place. Decomposition is the process by which fungi and microorganisms break down dead plants and animals and recycle essential materials and nutrients.
Also, many of the largest rainforest animals are found on the forest floor. Some of these are elephants (in Asia), the tapir (Southeast Asia and Central and South America), tigers (Asia), and the jaguar (Central and South America).
Annoyed by these ads? Use the advertising-free version of Mongabay-Kids.
Previous | Next
Review questions
- Describe the conditions of at the ground level in the rainforest.
- What is decomposition?
- What are some examples of animals that live on the ground level of the rainforest?
- Rainforest floor From our main rainforests web site
- May I use graphics from mongabay.com for my projects? Yes, you may provided that you don't remove the mongabay label from the images. You may use information from the site for class projects and can cite mongabay as the source.
- Where can I learn more about rainforests? Check the main rainforest site.
- Is this web site credible? Mongabay is the world's most popular source for information on tropical forests. The site is highly acclaimed by a number of the world's leading tropical scientists. See more answers at our frequently asked questions page.
- Can I hide ads? Yes, we have an advertising-free version of Mongabay-Kids.