THE 13 MOST IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS OF THE JUNGLE - ENVIRONMENT - 2025

The jungle has very interesting characteristics that make it one of the most important ecosystems on planet Earth. Among the most relevant characteristics of the jungles, it stands out that they receive sunlight at their summit throughout the year and that, at the same time, they are the scene of constant rainfall.

Rainforests are believed to be home to 50% of the world's species; these species coexist given the versatility of the ecosystem, which has different spaces so that each specimen can develop properly.

Amazon jungle.

The inhabitants of the forests have achieved such a level of adaptation to the very particular conditions of this habitat, that it is possible to observe, for example, tigers living in trees, or spiders that live in plants filled with water and feed almost exclusively on mosquito larvae that float there.

Main characteristics of the jungle

It is terrestrial

The forest is a terrestrial biome, therefore it belongs to the same system of grasslands, forests, deserts, taigas or tundras. This means that its formation is determined by the vegetation (flora, soil, trees, shrubs, etc.).

It exists almost everywhere on the planet

There are several types of rainforests, which allow this ecosystem to exist in different parts of the world. There are tropical, equatorial, mountainous, tropophilic, gallery, subtropical and trade fair forests.

The different types of jungle are found in the space around the Equator, which is formed between the Tropic of Cancer, located in the north, and the Tropic of Capricorn, located in the south.

This means that jungles can be found on all continents, except for Antarctica.

Warm temperature

The jungles tend to have a temperature that varies between 20 and 27 ° C, depending on the type of jungle in question.

In some cases, temperatures can rise to 35 ° C. The jungles are, par excellence, warm ecosystems.

Vast area covered with vegetation

The jungles are characterized by being formed almost entirely by vegetation of different types. In this habitat huge trees coexist, which can measure more than 75 meters in height, with such small species, such as mosses, that grow at ground level.

70% of the vegetation of the forests is made up of trees of different sizes; on its surface, there are about 700 different species of trees.

Layered ecosystem

One of the main characteristics of forests is that their ecosystem is divided into four layers.

At the top of the jungle is the emergent layer, formed by the tops of the tallest trees that receive all the sunlight. The leaves of these trees are usually small.

Below the emerging layer is the layer called canopy, formed by branches of different neighboring trees that connect with each other and form a space in which a large part of the jungle animals coexist.

The understory follows, which is still off the ground and receives little light. There are shrubs and smaller plants, about 3 meters high. This area has more humidity and the leaves of the plants are larger.

Finally, there is the jungle floor; only 2% of light reaches this area, so it is dark and very humid, and is the scene for the decomposition of dead animals and plants.

Thanks to this decomposition carried out by microorganisms, the soils are filled with nutrients that are used by the plants that grow in the lower surface of the forests.

Light abundant at the top, scarce on the ground

The huge trees in the jungles receive most of the sunlight. Since their leaves are not that large, these trees allow some of the light to filter into the next two layers of the forest (canopy and understory). But the ground is dark, as it receives very little sunlight.

Dense, impenetrable foliage

Rainforest vegetation is matted and dense, especially at the level closest to the ground. At this level there are shrubs and herbs that generate greater density that make moving through the jungles difficult for humans and for animals of a certain size.

Even many species of medium-sized animals develop more on trees than on the ground.

Contains 50% of the planet's species

It is estimated that the jungle is the ecosystem that has the greatest biodiversity on the planet, since 50% of all the world's species live there. In the jungles, specimens that do not live anywhere else on the planet have been found, and scientists discover new species there at every turn.

The jungles are home to species of flora as varied as ferns, lichens, palms, lianas, lilies, banana or cocoa trees. It is estimated that two thirds of the plants on the planet exist in the jungles.

As for the fauna, there are small mammals such as rodents, or larger ones, such as monkeys and tigers. Reptiles also coexist, such as lizards, snakes and turtles; with toads and small birds like parrots or toucans, or even larger ones like eagles and hawks.

They are found from very small species, such as a great variety of insects; even large species, such as elephants.

Constant rainfall and humidity

Although there are some forests that are drier than others, a general characteristic of this ecosystem is the high amount of rainfall and the warm climate, which creates a fairly humid space.

Since forests are located in areas that, in general, maintain the same characteristics throughout the year, jungle organisms can develop continuously, without needing to go through a hibernation process.

Shallow land

The soils of the forests are shallow and unsuitable for agriculture. Because they get very little sunlight, they don't have many nutrients and are covered in decaying matter.

Due to the shallow depth of the soils, the roots of the trees tend to stick out, making the soil even more convoluted and difficult to navigate on foot.

40% of oxygen comes from rainforests

Rainforests occupy 6% of the planet's surface, but they generate 40% of the oxygen consumed on Earth.

And 90% of the photosynthesis process, through which carbon dioxide is absorbed and oxygen is released, occurs in the rainforest canopy.

It can be at different altitudes

The jungle can be located in an altitude range between 0 and 2200 meters above sea level. The most normal thing is that it is at 1000 meters above sea level, being the forests of this condition called basal jungle.

If it exceeds 1000 meters above sea level, it would be tropical forests, which are the densest and with the greatest biodiversity and humidity. In turn, there are low-altitude jungles, normally near the plains or the savannah, being called gallery jungle.

It is the largest producer of medicines

It is estimated that 25% of medicines for human treatment have been made from the flora of the jungle. As mentioned above, 2/3 of the plants live in the rainforest, which is why the pharmacological industry does not stop exploring, investigating and making efforts to search for new species to exploit their medicinal properties.

References

1. "Rainforest" in: Biopedia. Retrieved on July 22, 2017 from Biopedia: biopedia.com
2. Logan, G. "What is the jungle ecosystem?" in USA Today. Retrieved on July 22, 2017 from USA Today: traveltips.usatoday.com
3. "Jungle" in: Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved on July 22, 2017 from Encyclopedia Britannica: britannica.com
4. "Selva" in: Bioenciclopedia. Retrieved on July 22, 2017 from Bioenciclopedia: bioenciclopedia.com
5. "Jungles" in: BBC America. Retrieved on July 22, 2017 from BBC America: bbcamerica.com/
6. "Rain forests" in: National Geographic. Retrieved on July 22, 2017 from National Geographic: nationalgeographic.com
7. De Silva. "Difference Between Forest and Jungle" (December 2015) in Pediaa. Retrieved on July 22, 2017 from Pediaa: pediaa.com
8. "Rainforest" at: Earth Observatory Nasa. Retrieved on July 22, 2017 from Earth Observatory Nasa: earthobservatory.nasa.gov
9. Butler, R. "What is the canopy?" (November 2013) in Rainforests. Retrieved on July 22, 2017 from Tropical Forests: selvastropicales.org
10. "Discovering the rainforest" at Ian Somerhalder Foundation. Retrieved on July 22, 2017 from Ian Somerhalder Foundation: isfoundation.com.