The Life Of The Soil

In many parts of the world, if you came upon a forest of tall trees and declared, "The soil here is fertile!" you'd be absolutely right. More often than not, tall trees are a sign of rich soil. The soil is full of nutrients [see glossary] which the trees feed on as they grow.

HOWEVER, in the tropics, the soil is not rich in nutrients, and yet the trees are exceedingly tall. So, how are these trees getting food if not from the soil?

Quick Quiz: Do you think it's:

Directly from decomposing plants?

or

From the rain that falls?

Why is rain forest soil is poor in nutrients?

To do your own experiments, check out these activities!