23
Fungi on the
roots help the
plant absorb
nutrients.
R
a
i
n
f
o
r
e
s
t
s
g
e
t
t
en
t
i
me
s
a
s
m
u
c
h
r
a
i
n
a
s
d
e
s
e
r
t
s
.
Animals eat fig
fruits, and their
poo spreads
the seeds.
Fig plants
wrap around
tree trunks.
Rainforests are home to thousands
of plants, but the soil is shallow and
poor. Up to 10 metres (400 in) of
rain a year washes the nutrients
away. Some clever plants live
on each other, instead!
Buttress roots
Tall trees have thick buttress
roots that grow out from the
trunk above ground for stability.
Nutrients are near the soil surface,
so tree roots are shallow.
Strangler fig
This plant’s seeds sprout in the moist,
nutrient-rich tree tops. The seedlings
grow down to the forest floor and
eventually take root in the soil.
D
RY SO
IL
S
O
GGY
S
O
I
L
022-023_Sand_And_Soggy_Soil.indd 23 31/10/2019 14:04
