Much of it is high-value lumber, such as mahogany (South American and African), ipę (“Brazilian walnut”), jatoba (“Brazilian cherry”), ramin and nyatoh, used for furniture, doors, coffins, boardwalks, decking, plywood, and flooring.

As the highest layer of the tropical rainforest, the canopy has the greatest access to water and sunlight. This means that the canopy has the greatest access to the resources needed to support animal and plant life and makes it the greatest repository of biodiversity in the tropical rainforest.

canopy layer

The canopy of a rainforest is typically about 10m thick, and intercepts around 95% of sunlight. The canopy is below the emergent layer, a sparse layer of very tall trees, typically one or two per hectare.

emergent layer

60 metres

As the website TigerHomes.org points out, the most common kinds of trees occupying the emergent layer are hardwood evergreens and broad-leaf. Two primary examples of such emergent layer trees are the kapok and the Brazil nut.

Below the tallest emergent layer, is the canopy. This layer receives plenty of sunlight and rain, with a refreshing breeze. The thick branches and large leaves of the tall trees spread out to make a leafy roof, preventing sunlight from getting through to the layers below.

The canopy layer is teeming with life as it is rich in fruits and seeds. Animals such as insects, birds, monkeys, frogs and sloths are found here. It is said the canopy layer is home to 90% of animals in the rainforest.

Canopy Layer General Facts The Canopy Layer lies right beneath the Emergent Layer of the tropical rainforest and above both the Understory and Floor layer. About 80% of the sunlight is absorbed at the Canopy Layer, leaving the below layers with very little sunlight.

Climate and Temperature The canopy receives direct sun and wind. However, in order for seeds to spread, the canopy relies on animals. The wind isn’t strong enough to carry the seeds. The temperature stays between 70 to 95 degrees, with some direct rain.

Canopies in tropical and temperate forests can be important habitats for many animals and plants. A dense canopy cover will let little light reach the ground and will lower temperatures. The canopy protects the ground from the force of rainfall and makes wind force more moderate.

There are 3 levels in the tropical rainforest. The canopy is the top layer that covers most of the forest. The middle level is called the understory, and the bottom level is called the forest floor. Each layer is home to many different animals.

EMERGENT LAYER The tallest trees are the emergents, towering as much as 200 feet above the forest floor with trunks that measure up to 16 feet around. Most of these trees are broad-leaved, hardwood evergreens. Sunlight is plentiful up here.

The forest floor, also called detritus, duff and the O horizon, is one of the most distinctive features of a forest ecosystem. It mainly consists of shed vegetative parts, such as leaves, branches, bark, and stems, existing in various stages of decomposition above the soil surface.

Forest floor

• Colombian cup fungi. These bowl-shaped fungus (mushrooms) feed on dead and rotting wood.
• Goliath bird-eater. This tarantula is the heaviest and largest spider in the world.
• Hercules beetle. This beetle is one of the biggest insects on Earth.
• Giant centipede.
• Leaf-cutter ants.
• Giant anteater.
• Fittonia leaves.
• Click beetle.

Jaguars are found in rainforests, seasonally flooded forests, grasslands, woodlands and dry deciduous forests throughout their range. Jaguars spend much of their time on the ground. They use their padded paws to move silently through the forest floor.

Common among the flora at this layer is moss and low lying plants such as ferns and ginger. Mushrooms and fungi thrive in warm, moist conditions and are able to grow by living inside or next to decaying trees and plants.

The main difference between a temperate rainforest and tropical rainforest is location. Tropical rainforests are located near the equator between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. Temperate rainforests are located to the north of the Tropic of Cancer and to the south of the Tropic of Capricorn.

Taiga and temperate forests are home to similar animal species, especially in northern temperate forests where harsh winters reduce the populations of animals that are not adapted to cold weather. Both biomes include a variety of birds, such as: wolves.