Equatorial forest: fauna, flora, climate, map –

equatorial forests they are ecosystems formed by dense and exuberant vegetation made up of tall trees, wide trunks and large leaves whose crowns form the forest canopy, which covers the lower strata. They receive this name because they are formed in areas of low latitude close to the equator, where the climate is hot and very humid.

The equatorial forests are holders of great animal and plant biodiversity, still playing an important role in the hydrological cycle and climate regulation of our planet. Its importance also extends to the local economy of the regions where it develops and to the populations and communities that live in forest areas and depend directly or indirectly on the resources found therein.

Read too: The relationship between the Amazon and rainfall in Brazil

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Summary about equatorial forests

  • The equatorial forests are ecosystems characterized by dense and exuberant vegetation, formed by plants of various strata and trees tens of meters high, with broad and evergreen leaves, whose crowns form a wide canopy.

  • They are located close to the equator, that is, in areas of low latitude.

  • They form in regions with a hot and humid climate, called the equatorial climate.

  • They present a very rich and diverse fauna and flora, formed by millions of species.

  • Soils in equatorial forests are poor in nutrients.

  • The Amazon rainforest is an example of an equatorial rainforest.

  • Equatorial forests are important for climate regulation, for maintaining the planet’s biodiversity, for the local economy and for the populations that depend on it.

Features of the equatorial forest

The equatorial forests are described as very complex and very old ecosystems that form under specific conditions of temperature and humidity, which are found especially at low latitudes. They are characterized by a dense vegetation of varied strata that closes in a wide canopy, being able to shelter thousands of animal and plant species. Next, we will study the main characteristics of this type of forest.

  • Location of the equatorial forest

Equatorial forests are so named because form in low-latitude areas close to the ANDframe, which corresponds to the parallel of 0°. This is the region of planet Earth where the sun’s rays are most intense throughout the year and there is, therefore, greater availability of heat and light.

Forests with similar characteristics occur on virtually all continents, with the exception of Antarctica. The equatorial forests themselves they can be found in the following regions:

◦ Central and South America;

◦ West and Central Africa;

◦ Southeast and South Asia;

◦ islands in Oceania and the South Pacific.

Don’t stop now… There’s more after the publicity 😉

  • climate of the equatorial forest

The climate in which these forests develop Also known as equatorial. The equatorial tropical climate is characterized by a high level of air humidity and high temperatures throughout the year, with the absence of a dry season, which implies large annual volumes of rain. In some regions, such as Southeast Asia, these volumes are up to 4000 mm. In addition, the seasons are not well defined in this climatic occurrence.

Another relevant aspect of the equatorial climate is its temperature range, which varies little during the day and also during the year. The months that can be considered the coldest usually register minimum temperatures between 20 and 18 °C, while the maximum can exceed 30 °C. To the rainfall occurs throughout the yearand, in some places, it is common to have daily rainfall, which allows the development of dense and evergreen vegetation.

  • Fauna of the equatorial forest

Large primates such as gorillas are found in equatorial forests.

The equatorial forests are marked by the great richness of its fauna, containing a large portion of all animal biodiversity on our planet. Thousands of species of birds, insects, mammals, reptiles, fish, amphibians and others are found there.

We list below some animals that are part of the fauna of the equatorial forests:

◦ primates (gorilla, chimpanzee, spider monkey, etc.);

◦ tapir;

◦ capybara;

◦ ounce;

◦ tiger;

◦ laziness;

◦ coati;

◦ rhinoceros;

◦ elephant;

◦ frogs;

◦ snakes;

◦ manatee;

◦ button;

◦ toucan;

◦ parrot;

◦ eagle;

◦ macaw;

◦ hummingbird;

◦ bat;

◦ butterflies.

Flora of the Equatorial Forest

A diversity of flora in equatorial forests is as extensive astyour fauna. The equatorial forests have from small species, such as types of shrubs, vines, vines and lianas, to trees with wide trunks that reach tens of meters in height, some reaching 80 meters, forming a wide canopy that covers all the lower strata. of the forest.

The species present in these forests are characterized as broadleaf (wide and resistant leaves) and evergreen, that is, they do not lose their leaves in a certain period of the year. In the equatorial forests, very old specimens are found that are hundreds of years old, which further reinforces the importance of conserving these ecosystems.

  • equatorial forest soil

Contrary to what the exuberance of the vegetation might lead us to believe, the equatorial forests have infertile soils, that is, poor in nutrients. One of the factors that condition this characteristic is the high level of rainfall, which carries out the removal of nutrients from the surface layer of the soil (leaching).

A layer is formed on the forest soils, composed of leaves and fruits that have fallen from trees, branches, plants and animal remains, materials that protect the substrate and give rise to organic matter that provides nutrients to the soil.

Read too: Vegetation of Brazil — the diversity of plant formations in our country

Examples of equatorial rainforest

  • Amazon rainforest: it is the largest equatorial forest in the world. The Amazon, as it is also called, extends over 5.5 million km² in nine countries in South America, with the largest area located in the Brazilian territory. The Amazon Rainforest has more than 40,000 plant species and thousands of animal species, harboring one of the greatest biodiversity in the world.

The Amazon Rainforest is the largest equatorial forest in the world.

  • Congo forest: is situated in the Congo Basin, comprising the West and Central African regions. This forest extends over an area of ​​2 million km² in six countries, with emphasis on the Democratic Republic of Congo.

  • New Guinea Forest: It is the third largest equatorial forest in the world, located on the island of New Guinea, where Papua New Guinea and part of Indonesia are located. Its area is 786,000 km² and is made up of many species of animals that are not found elsewhere, such as the tree kangaroo.

Difference between equatorial rainforest and tropical rainforest

Equatorial forests and tropical forests are very similar ecosystems in structure and composition of biodiversity, but with a fundamental difference, which is the scope of the area in which they occur.

While the equatorial forests are specifically distributed over the regions closest to the equator, the tropical forests are arrangedor all tropical climate areas of planet Earth, located especially in the coastal zone of countries and territories. Equatorial forests, despite this, are often also classified as tropical forests of the equatorial type.

One example of tropical forest is the Brazilian Atlantic Forestwhich extends from the northeast coast to the south coast of the country.

Importance of the equatorial forest

The equatorial forests are important for the maintenance of planetary biodiversityfor climate regulation and for local populations who depend directly or indirectly on the resources found in these ecosystems.

Due to the enormous concentration of plants, trees and other living organisms in equatorial forests, they constitute huge carbon stocks, which are important for the sequestration of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping to control the greenhouse effect.

The evapotranspiration processes that occur within this ecosystem are fundamental for the microclimate and for regional climate regulation, since water is released into the atmosphere. In cases like the Amazon, for example, this moisture that is “produced” ends up being carried by the wind to more distant regions, causing rain, the so-called flying rivers.

Many natural resources are found in the equatorial forests (wood, fibers, seeds, fruits, animals for food). Collected properly and through sustainable management, they are very important for the local and regional economy. In addition to their economic importance, there are many populations that live in forested areas and depend directly on these ecosystems to guarantee their livelihood and subsistence, populations that maintain a harmonious relationship with the forests and play an important role in their preservation.

Preservation of the equatorial forest

The advance of urbanized areas and the inadequate management of forest resources have contributed to the degradation of these ecosystems across the planet, with reports of large-scale forest fires caused by human action being increasingly common, extensive areas deforested for the development of other activities unrelated to the forest (pastures, road construction and several others) and water and soil pollution.

The preservation of equatorial forests is a fundamental task for the maintenance of the biodiversity of our planet and to guarantee climate and environmental balance, as we saw earlier.

There are now many projects aimed at raising awareness and/or adopting measures that help preserve large forests such as the Amazon and the Congo Forest, which are the two largest equatorial forests in the world, such as the Congo Basin Program and the Project Amazônia (Society, Population and Nature Institute), to name a few examples. Actions for the protection of forests can and should be taken on both an individual or personal and collective scale, privately or publicly, since it is a common good that affects everyone’s life, regionally and globally.

The practice of sustainable management, reforestation, the delimitation of ecological corridors and protection areas and the protection of communities and traditional populations are some examples of actions that help preserve forests.

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