Tropical rainforests are found in Central and South America, Western and Central Africa, Western India, Southeast Asia, the island of New Guinea, and Australia. The tropical rainforest biome has four main characteristics: extremely high annual rainfall, high temperatures on average, nutrient-poor soil, and high levels of species richness.  The tropical rainforest biome is home to over 50% of all the world's plant and animal species, including several species that have not yet been discovered. They are hot and moist, with average temperatures between 68 - 82 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Throughout the Tropical Rainforest, you will find a wide variety of animals. Some rainforest mammals include monkeys, sloths, jaguars, ocelots, and lemurs. The warm, moist environment is also an ideal habitat for reptiles and amphibians- such as frogs, snakes, lizards, and salamanders. As for insects, beetles, ants, butterflies, moths, fireflies, and caterpillars are plentiful in tropical rainforests. 

Some examples of predator-prey relationships in the tropical rainforest biome include Jaguars hunting mammals like monkeys and tapir, birds and lizards preying on insects, and snakes preying on rodents and amphibians. An example of parasatism in tropical rainforests are vines strangling their host trees by growing around their trunks. One example of mutualism in tropical rainforests is frogs laying eggs in water collected in bromeliad plants. This provides a safe nursery for tadpoles while the frogs help disperse nutrients to the plant. Another example is algae growing on sloths fur. While this provides camouflage for the sloths and may serve as a food source, the sloths fur provides a moist, sheltered environment for the algae to thrive. Lastly, an example of commensalism in the tropical rainforest biome is the relationship between orchids and the trees they grow on. The orchids benefit by having a place to live high in the canopy with access to more sunlight, while the trees are largely unaffected by their presence. 

Tropical rainforests are among the most threatened ecosystems globally due to large-scale deforestation, which occurs through logging, agriculture (including cattle ranching), mining, and infrastructure development. These actions lead to habitat loss, biodiversity decline, and disruption of the vital carbon sink function of the rainforest. As the large- scale harvesting of lumber from the rainforest continues, the balance of the earth's ecosystem is disrupted. When these forests are cut down, the plants and animals that live in the forests are destroyed, and some species are at risk of being made extinct. In addition, the earth's climate is affected because we depend on these rainforests to produce oxygen and clean the atmosphere.