WHY DO RAINFORESTS HAVE SO MANY KINDS OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS?
Tropical rainforests support the greatest diversity of living organisms on Earth. Although they cover less than 2 percent of Earths surface, rainforests house more than 50 percent of its plants and animals. Here are some examples of the richness of rainforests: • rainforests have 170,000 of the world’s 250,000 known plant species • the United States has 81 species of frogs, while Madagascar which is smaller than Texas, may have 300 species. • Europe has 321 butterfly species, while a park in the rainforest of Peru (Manu National Park) has 1300 species. Rainforests have an abundance of plants and animals for the following reasons: • Climate: because rainforests are located in tropical regions, they receive a lot of sunlight. This sunlight is converted to energy by plants through the process of photosynthesis. Since there is a lot of sunlight, that means there is a lot of energy in the rainforest. This energy is stored in plant vegetation which is eaten by animals. Because there is a lot
