Final answer:
Tropical forests are found at 0-15 degrees latitude due to stable temperatures and high rainfall, while deserts occur at 20-40 degrees latitude because of rain shadow effects, high evaporation, and very low precipitation.
Step-by-step explanation:
Tropical forests typically occur between 0-15 degrees latitude because this region is characterized by stable temperatures and abundant rainfall, which is conducive to lush vegetation growth. The deserts are found between 20 to 40 degrees latitude, often on the lee side of mountain ranges where rain shadow effects create drier conditions. This area has high evaporation rates that often exceed precipitation, leading to the arid environment typical of deserts. While subtropical deserts can experience extreme temperatures, such as soil surface temperatures above 60 °C (140 °F) during the day, they also have very low annual precipitation with little monthly variation, which is why we do not see fires as a major disturbance factor here, unlike in the temperate grassland biomes.