earth science

Samoan tropical moist forests

Samoan tropical moist forests is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Samoan tropical moist forests rather than just read about it. In short: The Samoan tropical moist forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in the Samoan Islands of the Pacific Ocean. Approximately 30% of Samoa's biodiversity is endemic, found only in Samoa, with new species still being discovered including two new butterflies in 2009 and freshwater fish new to science.

Key takeaways

Samoan tropical moist forests belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Samoan tropical moist forests to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Samoan tropical moist forests from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Samoan tropical moist forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in the Samoan Islands of the Pacific Ocean. Approximately 30% of Samoa's biodiversity is endemic, found only in Samoa, with new species still being discovered including two new butterflies in 2009 and freshwater fish new to science. The country has more native species of ferns and butterflies than New Zealand, a country 85 times larger.

Geography The Samoan Islands are in the central Pacific Ocean. They are volcanic in origin. The islands have a total area of 3,030 km2 (1,170 sq mi). The largest islands in the group are Savai'i and Upolu. The islands are politically divided between Samoa, an independent country; and American Samoa, an unincorporated territory of the United States. The islands are located south of the equator, and have a humid tropical climate. Rainfall exceeds 2,000 mm (79 in) annually.

Flora

Plant communities include lowland rain forest, which is the most extensive, with montane forests and cloud forests at higher elevations. There are smaller areas of montane scrub, pandanus scrub, littoral (seashore) scrub, montane swamp forest, and summit scrub. Lowland rainforest was once the largest plant community on the islands, although over 80% of it has been converted. Characteristic trees are Diospyros samoensis, Diospyros foliosa, Calophyllum inophyllum, Didymocheton alliaceus, Didymocheton gaudichaudianus, Pometia pinnata, Planchonella torricellensis, Myristica fatua, and species of Syzygium. Fagraea berteroana, Glochidion ramiflorum, Lepidocupania brackenridgei, and Morinda citrifolia grow on rocky lowland lava flows. Montane rain forest grows on lower mountain slopes, which have a cooler and wetter climate than the lowlands. Didymocheton huntii is the dominant canopy tree, with Pterophylla samoensis, Canarium harveyi, Rhus taitensis, and species of Syzygium and Astronidium. Morinda citrifolia, Metrosideros vitiensis, and Pterophylla samoensis grow on upland lava flows. Cloud forest forms on higher mountain slopes with almost continuous cloud cover and high rainfall above 650 meters elevation. Typical cloud forest trees are Polyscias pleiosperma, Pterophylla samoensis, Didymocheton huntii, and Coprosma savaiiensis. Tree ferns (Cyathea spp.), the fern Dicranopteris linearis, and the climber Freycinetia storckii grow in the forest understory. Low scrubby plants, including the Samoan endemics Vaccinium whitmeei, Spiraeanthemum samoense, and Coprosma strigulosa, grow on the highest-elevation lava flows. The Central Savai'i Rainforest, comprising an area of 727 square kilometres (281 sq mi) on the island of Savai'i in the Samoan Islands, is the largest continuous patch of rainforest in Polynesia. The area contains more than 100 volcanic craters including recent lava flows. The rainforest spans the inland region of the island, and includes montane forest and cloud forest which contain most of Samoa's endemic native species, many of which are threatened or near extinction. The endemic shrub Metrosideros gregoryi is known only from Matavanu crater on Savai'i. Littoral or coastal strand plant communities include trees and shrubs like Scaevola taccada, Pandanus tectorius, Barringtonia asiatica, Calophyllum inophyllum, Pisonia grandis, and coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) which are widespread along seacoasts in the Indo-Pacific region.

Fauna

Endemic birds include the rare and unusual tooth-billed pigeon (Didinculus strigirostris), known locally as manumea and Samoa's national bird, and other birds such as the maomao honeyeater (Gymnomyza samoensis). The Samoan white-eye (Zosterops samoensis) and Samoan moorhen (Gallinula pacifica) are both endemic to Savai'i. The Samoan moorhen was last recorded in 1873 with possible sightings in 1984 at the upland forests and at Mount Silisili in 2003.

Conservation

Most of Samoa's land is under customary ownership, about 81% of which is governed at the local level by matai, the chiefly heads of families. Conservation projects therefore take place in partnership with matai, such as the lowland rainforest preserve in Falealupo village, at the western tip of Savai'i and Tafua village on the south east coast. Some of the islands' plants are used for food, fiber, and traditional Samoan medicine (see Samoan plant names). In 1994, Samoa ratified the international and legally binding treaty, the Convention on Biological Diversity to develop national strategies for conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity. By 2010 protected areas in the country covered 5% of land. Protected areas include Cornwall National Park (24.94 km2), Lata National Park (49.92 km2), and Mauga o Salafai National Park (59.73 km2) on Savai'i, Lake Lanotoo National Park (4.7 km2) and O Le Pupu-Puʿe National Park (50.19 km2) on Upolu, and the National Park of American Samoa on Tutuila, Ofu, and Ta‘ū.

Gallery

See also List of ecoregions in the United States (WWF) Flora of Samoa

References

External links Media related to Samoan Tropical Moist Forests Ecoregion at Wikimedia Commons Samoan tropical moist forests (World Wildlife Fund)

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Samoan tropical moist forests

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Samoan tropical moist forests claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Samoan tropical moist forests before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Samoan tropical moist forests ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Samoan tropical moist forests

In research: Samoan tropical moist forests appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Samoan tropical moist forests in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Samoan tropical moist forests is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Biota of Samoa, Ecoregions of American Samoa, Endemic Bird Areas, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Samoan tropical moist forests outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Samoan tropical moist forests” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Samoan tropical moist forests in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Samoan tropical moist forests means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Samoan tropical moist forests out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Samoan tropical moist forests in simple terms?

Why does Samoan tropical moist forests matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Samoan tropical moist forests?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Samoan tropical moist forests.