Despite the high-level of biodiversity, this biome has infertile soils, principally oxisols, to which the vegetation has roots systems that capture nutrients from litter decay.

The biome that has infertile soil, principally oxisols, to which the vegetation has roots systems that capture nutrients from litter decay, is the tropical rainforest.

Soil types are highly variable in the tropics and are the result of a combination of several elements or variables which includes climate, vegetation, topographic position, parent material and also the soil age. Most of the tropical soils are described by leaching and poor nutrients. It also has two classifications: namely the ultisols and oxisols. Ultisols are known as well-weathered, acidic red clays soils. They are deficient primarily in major nutrients such as potassium and calcium. Oxisols are also an acidic type of tropical soil. However, they are well drained compared to the ultisols.