There are hundreds of plant species found in Costa Rica, and 28 of those are endemic. The neotropical area is a geographic area including all of Central and South America except for the Southern tips of Argentina and Chile; this means that Costa Rica is included. Because the soil in tropical rain forests is extremely thin, trees have to find a way to support themselves in case of heavy wind; normally their roots would go deep into the ground but that isn't possible. Instead, many trees have buttress/prop roots.
Buttress and prop roots are exactly what they sound like; they are roots that are above ground that serve to support the trees. So, instead of having the roots deep into the ground, the trees have a much wider root base, which in turn gives them much more stability that if they didn't have this. Another common feature in these areas are epiphytes, or plants that grow on other plants but are not parasitic; they get their nutrients and moisture from the environment.
Buttress and prop roots are exactly what they sound like; they are roots that are above ground that serve to support the trees. So, instead of having the roots deep into the ground, the trees have a much wider root base, which in turn gives them much more stability that if they didn't have this. Another common feature in these areas are epiphytes, or plants that grow on other plants but are not parasitic; they get their nutrients and moisture from the environment.
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