According to conservation author Rhett Butler, the annual rainfall in tropical rainforests ranges between 80 and 430 inches due to their location on the inter-tropical convergence zone along the equator. The constant warm and humid climate makes the biodiversity within these jungles possible, with average temperatures ranging from 68 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit and an average humidity between 77 to 88 percent.
According to Blue Planet Biomes, while jungles cover only 6 percent of the planet's surface, they are home to over half of the world's plant species and provide 40 percent of the Earth's oxygen. The vegetative structure within rainforests is unique, comprised of several layers building up from the forest floor, with shrubs, then the understory, canopy and the tallest layer, the overstory. Access to sunlight, water and air-flow is limited by height and each plant species has adapted itself accordingly to survive in this environment. Rainforest soil is nutrient poor since little sun shines on the damp forest floor, dead leaf litter and animal matter quickly decompose into a nutrient-rich humus.
According to educational resource Think Quest, around half of the world's animal and insect species live in tropical rainforests. Like plants, the jungle animals have adapted to their surroundings, with around 90 percent of animal life within the jungle ecosystem residing in the canopy. A diverse range of bats, monkeys, reptiles, frogs, butterflies, insects and birds are the inhabitants of the canopy layer. Mammals like leopards and jaguars live in the understory.
The jungle ecosystem supports a diverse array of biological life including plant, animal and flora. Each organism has a role to play in the overall functioning of the ecosystem. The insects of the forest floor contribute to the nutrient cycle by helping to breakdown dead plant and animal matter. Rhett Butler notes several symbiotic relationships between ants and various other insects, plants and fungi, all dependent upon each other for their own survival. Another example of this interdependence is the way that certain canopy trees relying upon animals at different layers of the ecosystem as part of their germination cycle.
