Rainforest Plants

When you learned about biomes two weeks ago, you learned that the rainforest biome contains a large amount of plant life. The rainforest has four "layers." These layers developed based on the availability of several key abiotic factors: sunlight, water, and soil.

Emergent Trees

Emergent trees grow very tall (up to 240 feet) and spread out like an umbrella. They are shaped that way to get as much sunlight as possible.

Upper Canopy

The upper canopy starts at 60 feet and consists mostly of tall trees. Animals largely live at this layer. The branches and leaves move water downwards quickly as an adaptation to the heavy rain that rainforests receive.

Understory

The understory are plants and trees that are below 60 feet. Very little sunlight reaches the understory. Leaves on trees in the understory are larger than those in the upper canopy in order to gather as much sunlight as possible.

Forest floor

The forest floor is very dark. Plants have difficulty to living at the bottom and are specifically adapted to little sunlight. Also, the soil is surprisingly nutrient-poor, which plants have to adjust for as well.


Source: http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/rainforest.htm