Question

Describe the three-tier forest of the equatorial region.

Answer 1

The greatest expanses of equatorial rainforest are found in lowland Amazonia, the Congo Basin, the Southeast Asian islands of Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. Tropical moist forests are found at a greater distance from the equator where rainfall and day length vary seasonally.

Answer 2

Answer: Trees grow in this region to different heights, giving an impression of a  three-tier formation. The topmost layer is the emergent layer. The giant trees  thrust above the dense layer of trees and have huge mushroom shaped crowns.  The trees in this layer receive a lot of sunlight and rain. The second layer is the  canopy layer. The broad irregular crown of these trees forms a tight, continuous  canopy 20-30 m above the ground. The branches are often densely covered  with other plants and tied together with vines. The third layer is the understorey,  which receives very little sunlight and is very dark. It has young trees, shrubs,  ferns, creepers, and orchids. The forest floor usually has a layer of decomposed  leaves, branches, and fruits that have fallen from the trees above. As there is  very little sunlight here, the growth of plants is poor. Thus, these forests are very  dense and gloomy. The hardwood trees are valuable for making good quality  furniture as the wood is heavy, but the trees are difficult to exploit as they do  not grow in pure stand.