Rainforest Layers
By Hayley and Jamie
Emergent layer
The emergent layer is made up of the tallest trees in the rainforest. These trees rise above the canopy layer. Most emergent trees have broad waxy leaves, that can withstand the hot sun and the 80 to 400 inches of rain that can fall each year. These trees can grow up to 270 feet. This layer also recives the most sunlight. When an adult emergent dies seedlings will start to grow competing for take the adults placeabove the canopy. Most of the animals that live up in the emergent layer are animals with wings. For example wasps, bats and many bird species like eagles.
Canopy layer
The tree tops of the canopy trees join together to greate a roof over the lower layers. The branches are often covered in vines, lianas, epiphytes or tangled together. The canopy layer can be 12 meters in depth, because the canopy layer is so dense it prevents most sunlight from reaching the layers below it. These trees can be from about 65 to 130 feet tall. This layer is home to a variety of animals,including the howler monkey, scarley macaw and the hornbill. The canopy layer has the most plants and animals than any other layer of the rainforest.
Understory layer
The rainforest understory is very hot, very damp, and the air is still. Many animals, like birds and monkeys, pass through the understory in search for food or for a nesting place, but few animals actually live in the understory layer. Despite the smaller population of animals at this altitude, many of the common rainforest plants are found in the understory layer, including ginger, passionflower and heliconia plants. While few birds and mammals are found in the understory, there are at least 50 species of butterflies and other insects can be found in the understory layer, including the heliconia butterfly and the green malachite butterfly. The understory is a tangle of shrubs, younger trees, palm trees and wood-stemmed plants that grow in the the shadow of larger trees. Since little light reaches the understory, only plants that need only small amounts of sunlight can grow here.
Forest Floor
The rainforest floor is often dark and humid due to constant shade from the canopy’s leaves. Despite its constant shade, the rainforest floor is an important part of the forest ecosystem. The forest floor is where dead plants and animals decompose. Decomposition is the process where fungi and microorganisms break down dead plants and animals and recycle their materials and nutrients. Also, many of the largest rainforest animals are found on the forest floor. Some of these are elephants, the tapir, tigers, and the jaguar.