Thursday, January 29, 2015

Abiotic Factors

The abiotic factors of this rainforest biome are-the amount of sunlight, climate, soil composition, weather and precipitation.   In this region sunlight strikes Earth at roughly a 90-degree angle resulting in intense solar energy. This intensity is due to the consistent day length on the equator: 12 hours a day, 365 days per year. This consistent sunlight provides the essential energy necessary to power the forest via photosynthesis. The average temperature here in the Amazon Rainforest is about 80.7 degrees Fahrenheit.  The temperature in this area usually never exceeds 93 degrees Fahrenheit nor does is drop below 68 degrees Fahrenheit.  The Amazon has some of the deepest tropical soils in the world.  Since the amount of soil is so abundant and mainly untouched, the composition of it is extremely nutritional for the trees and plants. The average amount of rainfall in the Amazon Rainforest is anywhere from 56 to 260 inches annually.   It rains more than ninety days a year in the rainforest, and between these rain storms, the sun usually heats up the earth. The warm air and abundance of rain make it a perfect climate for growing trees that grow extremely large and tall in the. Some trees grow to the height of more than 165 feet and have straight trunks that don't branch out for 100 feet or more. The  tall trees branches can form a canopy or shield preventing the rain and sun from reaching the forest floor. There is little light below the canopy so most trees do not have branches or leaves below this level.  The plants that grow below the canopy, such as mosses and ferns adapt to the lack of sunlight and can grow quite well along the floor of the forest. The Amazon is also in the realm of the trade winds, a belt of easterly winds that circles the globe a few degrees north and south of the equator. The winds bring moisture-laden air from the tropical Atlantic Ocean over the continent.
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