Glossary

tropical

Of, relating to, or characteristic of, the tropics.

Used in 107 species profiles

Related terms

biome
A major regional or global biotic community normally characterised by the dominant vegetation and local climatic conditions, e.g., deserts, tropical rainforests, tundra. The two major aquatic biomes are freshwater and marine but these are often broken down into less-generalised categories.
Indian almond leaf
Vernacular name for leaves of the leadwood tropical tree species Terminalia catappa which are commonly sold dried for use in aquaria because the organic compounds contained within them are considered beneficial for certain fish species. In particular they may aid in simulation of blackwater conditions and inhibit the growth of some undesirable microorganisms, as well as proving an effective addition to a natural-looking display. Also known as Ketapang leaf, presumably in reference to the city of that name in West Kalimantan province, Indonesian Borneo.
Llanos
Refers to 'Los Llanos', a wide expanse of tropical grassland located east of the Andes mountains in Venezuela and Colombia. Much of the area undergoes significant seasonal fluctuations in water level due to flooding of the Río Orinoco which flows through it.
mangrove swamp
Tropical or subtropical, tidal marine swamp chaaracterised by an abundance of mangrove trees.
peat swamp forest
Type of tropical moist forest lying over a thick bed of acidic peat, over 60% of which occur in Indonesia and Malaysia. Typically contain water with very low pH (<4.0) that is stained brown due to the release of various organic compounds from the decaying peat and thus often referred to as blackwater swamps. Usually contain some permanent water but also flood seasonally. Highly biodiverse when in pristine condition, with many species found nowhere else on earth, though increasingly subjected to intensive drainage, burning and subsequent conversion to agriculture in recent decades.
tropics
Either of the two parallels of latitude located around 23.3° north and south of the equator, respectively, representing the points farthest north and south at which the Sun can shine directly overhead; the regions of the earth siutated between these latitudes.

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