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The Layers of the Rainforest

by Tara Spielberger

Cover

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The Layers of the Rainforest
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Table of Contents


Introduction...........1
Forest Floor............2
Understory.............3
Canopy...................4
Emergent..............5
Introduction
Rainforests have many trees and animals. It is very wet and warm in the rainforest.
Forest Floor
The first layer is the forest floor. It is very dark and damp in this layer. The leaves block the sun from reaching the forest floor. Not many plants grow on the forest floor. Many insects and rodents live here. The biggest animals of the rainforest live here.
Understory Layer
There is very little light and no breeze in this layer because it is blocked by the canopy. The plants in the understory must be able to live with very little sunlight. Bushes, large green plants, and small trees make up this layer. Often they will only grow in open patches where a big tree has fallen down. Other plants, like vines, grow on the big trees.
Canopy Layer
The canopy is like a huge green roof over the forest. The trees grow up thin and straight. The trees are so close together that very little light gets to the lower layers.Their roots do not go deep into the soil but spread out in all directions along or just under the ground. Many kinds of monkeys, birds, and insects live in the layer. They live in this layer all their lives and often never touch the ground.
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