What type of soil is found in the rain forest? What is the light intensity of the rain forest?
Amazonia is a land of contradictions. In this place of overwhelming greenery, where the sun shines brightest, the soil is poor and there’s a permanent gloom at ground level. Despite the luxuriant growth of plant matter in the Amazon rain forest, much of the local soil is lacking in the mineral nutrients needed for plant growth. The nutrients are stored and redistributed through the trees and other plant materials themselves. That’s why shifting agriculture, or slash and burn, techniques are used by some of the locals. The vegetation is cut down and burned to provide enough nutrients to raise crops for a few years. Other kinds of plants, such as Epiphytes, never use the soil for nutrients at all. All of its nutrients are derived from sources such as fungi, animals and decomposing litter. The Amazon rain forest spans the equator where the sun’s rays are the strongest throughout the year. Rain forest plants have had millions of years of evolution to perfect their light gathering technique
