photo M. Noonan

The lowland rainforest is what most people picture when they think of a typical rainforest. These areas are characterized, in general, by their equatorial location, warm temperatures, and wet climate. These three factors allow for year-round growth and reproduction in the lowland forest, making the richness of species in these areas possible.

The many layers of the lowland forest vegetation create a variety of different specialized habitats, or niches, to be occupied by a variety of different plant and animal species. This allows the rainforest to be among the most biologically diverse areas on the planet.