The Tropical Rainforest Biome › Revision notes
The Tropical Rainforest Biome — Revision notes
Need a recap first? Read the full explanation →
Brain dump
Before you look at anything else, write down everything you can remember about this lesson: key words, facts, examples. Spelling doesn't matter. Then see which of the 17 key terms you remembered.
Everything else on this page is hidden until you're done. No peeking!
Ones you missed. Read these, then try again tomorrow:
Key terms
- Biome
- A huge region of the world where places share a similar climate, plants and animals
- Climate
- The average weather in a place, measured over 30 years or more
- Equator
- The imaginary line of latitude around the widest part of the Earth
- Tropic of Cancer
- The line of latitude that runs north of the Equator
- Tropic of Capricorn
- The line of latitude that runs south of the Equator
- Tropics
- The region between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn
- Solar radiation
- The Sun's energy
- Evaporation
- The hot sun turning water into water vapour
- Condensation
- Water vapour cooling and turning into tiny droplets that build clouds
- Convectional rainfall
- Rain caused by heat, as warm, wet air rises, cools and condenses
- Habitat
- A place that gives living things food and shelter
- Emergent layer
- The top layer, where a few giant trees poke out above the rest of the forest
- Canopy
- A thick, tangled roof of leaves and branches about 30 metres up
- Understory
- The dark layer under the canopy, reaching up to about 20 metres
- Forest floor
- The bottom layer, covered in fallen leaves and home to decomposers
- Leaf litter
- The fallen leaves that cover the forest floor
- Decomposers
- Living things, like termites, that break down dead leaves into nutrients
TERM — tap to reveal
What this lesson covers
How well do you know each one? Be honest: red means go back over it.
- Explain what a biome is and what climate means
- Describe where tropical rainforests are found, including the five continents
- Explain why the Equator is hot all year round using solar radiation
- Compare the climate of Manaus with the UK
- Trace how heat causes convectional rainfall in the rainforest
- Describe the four layers of the rainforest and why it supports millions of species
Test yourself
Cover the answer, say it out loud, then check the full quiz on the lesson page.
- Which of these continents has NO tropical rainforest?
- How tall is the tallest tree ever measured in the Amazon?
- What causes most of the rainforest's heavy rain?
Topic quiz
15 questions on this topic only — not mixed with anything else, one at a time.
Question 1 of 15
Score: 0 out of 15
Spelling challenge
Read the definition, then type the correct spelling of the term. Uses the same terms as above.
Score: 0/0