Rainforest ecosystem fact sheet | Field of Mars EEC

What are rainforests?

Rainforests are forest ecosystems with dense plant growth, shade, moisture and many living things interacting with non-living features such as rainfall, temperature, soil, sunlight, rocks, air and nutrients. Many rainforests have a closed canopy, which means the tree crowns join together and make the forest floor cool, shaded and humid.

Rainforests are different from most eucalypt forests. In many Australian rainforests, young trees can grow in shade and eucalypts are absent or only appear as occasional taller trees above the rainforest canopy. A rainforest ecosystem can contain many smaller habitats, including tree trunks, leaves, vines, hollows, creeks, rocks, leaf litter, soil, fungi and fallen logs.

Rainforests are not the main ecosystem at Field of Mars Reserve, but they are useful for comparing with local eucalypt forests, creekline vegetation, mangroves and wetlands. In NSW, rainforests occur in scattered patches, especially in moist sheltered gullies, coastal ranges, escarpments and mountain areas.

A rainforest ecosystem.

Rainforest in Dorrigo National Park shows how tall trees, palms and other plants grow together in layers.

Where are rainforests found?

Rainforests are found in warm, wet and sheltered parts of the world, but different rainforest types can grow in different conditions. Some rainforests are tropical and receive very high rainfall. Others are temperate, cooler or seasonal. Dry rainforests can grow where rainfall is lower, but the vegetation still has rainforest structure and species.

In Australia, rainforests occur in scattered patches across parts of eastern and northern Australia. In NSW, important rainforest areas include Dorrigo National Park, Border Ranges National Park, New England National Park, Barrington Tops National Park, Budderoo National Park and other reserves within or near the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area.

Rainforests grow in moist places such as Dorrigo National Park, where shade, water and dense plant growth create cool, humid conditions.

What living and non-living features make up rainforests?

Living features of rainforests include trees, vines, palms, ferns, mosses, fungi, bacteria, insects, spiders, snails, frogs, reptiles, birds and mammals. These living things interact through food chains, pollination, seed dispersal, shelter, competition, predation and decomposition.

Non-living features include rainfall, humidity, temperature, shade, air, water, rocks, soil, slope, wind and nutrients. The closed canopy reduces sunlight at ground level, which helps keep the forest floor damp and supports shade-tolerant plants, fungi and decomposers.

Warm temperate rainforest in northern Sydney shows dense plant growth, shade and layered vegetation.

What plants and animals live in rainforests?

Rainforest plants may include canopy trees, palms, lilly pillies, figs, vines, ferns, mosses and plants that grow on other plants. Some rainforest trees produce fleshy fruits that are eaten by birds and mammals. Ferns, mosses and fungi often grow in damp shaded places.

Rainforest animals can include pademelons, possums, gliders, microbats, lyrebirds, fruit-doves, bowerbirds, frogs, skinks, snakes, snails, spiders, beetles, ants and many other invertebrates. Decomposers such as fungi, bacteria, worms, beetles and larvae break down leaves, fruit, wood and dead organisms, returning nutrients to the soil.

Wompoo fruit-doves feed on rainforest fruit and help disperse the seeds of rainforest plants.

How do living things depend on rainforests?

Rainforest food webs begin with producers. Trees, palms, vines, ferns and other plants use sunlight, water, air and nutrients to grow. Plant-eating animals may feed on leaves, fruit, flowers, nectar, seeds or sap. Predators may feed on insects, spiders, frogs, reptiles, birds or small mammals.

Rainforests also depend on decomposers and seed dispersers. Fungi, bacteria and invertebrates break down leaf litter, fallen fruit and dead wood. Birds and mammals can move seeds after eating fruit, helping rainforest plants spread to suitable places where young plants can grow.

Creeks and moist gullies help keep some rainforest habitats cool, shaded and humid.

How are rainforests connected to Aboriginal Peoples and Country?

Rainforests are part of Country for many Aboriginal Peoples. Aboriginal cultural knowledge, responsibilities and connections to rainforest places vary between Countries, language groups, families and communities. Public information should not be treated as a complete record of cultural knowledge.

In the Wet Tropics of Queensland, Rainforest Aboriginal Peoples are recognised as Traditional Custodians who have lived in and cared for rainforest and other habitats for thousands of years. In NSW, rainforest places occur on the Countries of different Aboriginal Peoples, so local Traditional Custodians should be identified for each specific place or learning site.

The rainforest track at Gulaga National Park passes through a place with deep cultural importance for Yuin people.

Why are rainforests important?

Rainforests are important because they support many different plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms. Although rainforests cover only a small part of Australia, Australian rainforest areas support a large share of the nation’s plant families and many mammal and bird species.

Rainforests also help protect soil, shade waterways, store carbon, recycle nutrients and provide habitat for rare or threatened species. World Heritage rainforest areas such as the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia protect ancient plant and animal lineages that help scientists understand Earth’s long environmental history.

Cool temperate rainforest at Monga National Park contains dense shade, mosses and rainforest trees.

What threatens rainforests?

Rainforests can be threatened by climate change, changed fire patterns, habitat clearing, fragmentation, weeds, pest animals, plant diseases and visitor impacts. Many rainforest species are adapted to moist, shaded conditions, so hotter temperatures, drought and severe fire can damage rainforest structure and make recovery difficult.

Weeds can invade rainforest edges, especially where canopy gaps, tracks, roads or disturbed soil allow more light into the forest. Pest animals can disturb soil, spread weeds, damage plants or prey on native animals. Small rainforest patches are especially vulnerable because they have more edge habitat and fewer connections to other rainforest areas.

Lantana can invade disturbed rainforest edges and form dense thickets that make it harder for native rainforest plants to regenerate.

How can you help protect rainforests?

You can help protect rainforests by staying on marked tracks, cleaning shoes before and after bushwalks, leaving plants, fungi, rocks, logs and leaf litter in place, and never feeding or disturbing wildlife. These actions help protect fragile seedlings, soil, decomposers and small habitats.

At home and school, you can learn from reliable sources, reduce waste, keep cats contained, control weeds, plant suitable local native plants and support protected areas. When visiting rainforest Country, follow signs, listen to ranger and Traditional Custodian guidance, and respect places that are culturally or environmentally sensitive.

Cleaning shoes before and after bushwalks helps reduce the spread of weed seeds, soil and plant diseases between natural areas.

Related fact sheets

Environments and ecosystems

• Ecosystem and environment fact sheets⁠ – Explore Field of Mars EEC fact sheets about local, Sydney and wider NSW environments.
• Ecosystems and environments fact sheet⁠ – Compare habitats, ecosystems and environments across NSW.
• Eucalypt forest ecosystem fact sheet⁠ – Compare rainforests with a local Sydney forest ecosystem.
• River and creek environment fact sheet⁠ – Learn how water, shade, banks, plants and animals connect in freshwater environments.
• Alpine and subalpine environment fact sheet⁠ – Compare rainforests with cold mountain environments.

Habitats

• Tree habitat fact sheet⁠ – Learn how trunks, branches, leaves, flowers, hollows and shade provide habitat.
• Leaf litter habitat fact sheet⁠ – Explore the damp forest floor where decomposers recycle nutrients.
• Shrub habitat fact sheet⁠ – Compare rainforest understorey plants with shrub habitats in local bushland.
• Ground cover habitat fact sheet⁠ – Learn how ferns, grasses and low plants shelter small animals.
• Rock and log habitat fact sheet⁠ – Explore cool, damp shelters for fungi, reptiles and invertebrates.

Plants and animals connected to forest ecosystems

• Bracken fern fact sheet⁠ – Learn about a fern found in many forest and ground cover habitats.
• Common ringtail possum fact sheet⁠ – Explore a tree-dwelling mammal that uses branches, leaves and shelter.
• Powerful owl fact sheet⁠ – Discover a forest predator that depends on healthy food webs.

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