The forest floor forms the lowest level in the forest. Because very little sunlight filters through to this area, few plants are found on the floor of the forest. The floor is covered with wet leaves, leaf litter, mosses, herbs and fungi. There is much decay on this level, which returns nutrients back into the soil. Rainforest Facts Rainforests cover 2 percent of the earth's surface, or 7 percent of its land mass.
Tropical rainforests are the Earth's oldest continuous ecosystem.
Fossil records show that the forests of South East Asia have existed for 70 to 100 million years. An area of rainforest cleared for farming or grazing cattle becomes unproductive in only a few years. Tropical rainforests are the most diverse ecosystems on earth. Native rainforest plants, insects and other animals form a fragile network that cycles and returns the most nutrients possible out of the poor soil. Tiny Panama has as many species of plants as all of Europe.