Rainforest The ground ( वर्षावन का धरातल )

Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with annual rainfall in the case of tropical rainforests between 250 and 450 centimetres (98 and 177 in), and definitions varying by region for temperate rainforests. The monsoon trough, alternatively known as the intertropical convergence zone, plays a significant role in creating the climatic conditions necessary for the Earth's tropical rainforests.

Around 40% to 75% of all biotic species are indigenous to the rainforests. It has been estimated that there may be many millions of species of plants, insects and microorganisms still undiscovered in tropical rainforests. Tropical rainforests have been called the "jewels of the Earth" and the "world's largest pharmacy", because over one quarter of natural medicines have been discovered there. Rainforests are also responsible for 28% of the world's oxygen turnover, sometimes misnamed oxygen production, processing it through photosynthesis from carbon dioxide and consuming it through respiration.

The undergrowth in some areas of a rainforest can be restricted by poor penetration of sunlight to ground level. If the leaf canopy is destroyed or thinned, the ground beneath is soon colonized by a dense, tangled growth of vines, shrubs and small trees, called a jungle. The term jungle is also sometimes applied to tropical rainforests generally.

It takes time to dig food out of the ground, so foragers are vulnerable to surprise attack. Peccaries protect themselves by feeding in groups, while one or two individuals stand guard. Smaller animals are more likely to hide under roots until the threat is past.

The roots these smaller animals hide under belong to the emergent layer trees or perhaps trees from the canopy layer. Again it's a reminder of the interdependencies in the rainforest. What's living 150 feet above the ground has an effect on the activities of the forest floor. And yet the diversity between the layers enable different species to settle in the varying layers.

The pygmy glider is far from the smallest creature up here. The intensely colored flowers on the tall treetops glow and beckon. Butterflies flutter among.

The richest in species and in interdependencies...and the most diverse landbased ecosystem on earth describe the tropical rainforests. Yet all these astounding diverse forms and habits do one thing: they help the rainforest creatures and plants survive in the many ecosystems within the rainforests' borders.

The term "jungle" is frequently applied to forest areas having dense ground growth. Such "jungle" is characteristic of disturbed forest, usually near the forest edges, in recently opened light gaps, river banks, and areas where the forest is reclaiming previously cleared land. Vigorous ground growth is only possible where plenty of light is available—where there is a break or thinning in the light-absorbing canopy which screens out all but the 0.5-5 percent of light that reaches the floor in the primary forest.

CHARACTERISTICS

Despite its constant shade, the ground floor of the rainforest is the site for important interactions and complex relationships. The forest floor is one of the principal sites of decomposition, a process paramount for the continuance of the forest as a whole. It is also home to thousands of plants and animals, and provides support for trees responsible for the formation of the canopy. The ground level is the region of the forest which was first explored and has been the most intensively studied.