Abiotic Factors Affecting the Tropical Rainforest

Abiotic factors that affect the tropical rainforests include sunlight, rain and overall climate. These factors are important in any ecosystem since all ecosystems require to the influence of sunlight, rain and climate to maintain the species of life that normally live within these environments. Enacting a change to one of these factors substantially impacts the overall health of the .

Abiotics are the non-living factors that affect a particular environment. In the tropical rainforest the primary abiotic factors are sunlight, climate, weather and precipitation. Although abiotics are non-living, these factors affect all living things that dwell within an individual environment, whether vegetable or animal.Tropical rainforests are located along the equator, which allows for a consistent amount of rainfall and a temperature that sees very little fluctuation throughout the year. Due to this location, the amount of solar energy dispersed throughout the rainforest is also consistent throughout the four seasons of the year. Solar energy is a required element of tropical forest plant growth and the dispersal of this energy in the atmosphere creates localized storms and dispersive weather patterns that transport solar energy throughout the rest of the world. A substantial change in solar energy delivered to the equator affects both the amount of rainfall in the forest and the amount of energy provided to plant life, and a decrease in both rain and energy results in smaller trees, which also leads to the growth of less vegetation to feed forest creatures, and a greater amount of sunlight reaching the forest floor. When this event occurs, the rainforest is also subject to drought, which continues to worsen living conditions within the area.Abiotic factors are part of a delicately balanced cause-and-effect relationship within any environment in the world, and effecting changes in one area produces results in another that affect the well-being of plants and animals within the environment. These changes are not always positive. For instance, although continual global warming does not have an immediate effect on the rain forest, the environmental impact in Arctic areas is notable due to a loss of sea ice as a habitat for animals and a decrease in food supplies for larger animals within Arctic regions. This change results in animal starvation and displacement of creatures into other environments where they are not well-suited to live.