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Instructions
For the Student:
Read the definitions, then label the strata (layers) of the tropical rainforest diagram below.
Extra Information
Word Bank
canopy: the upper parts of most of the trees (about 65 to 130 feet or 20 to 40 m tall). This leafy environment is full of life: insects, arachnids, many birds, some mammals, etc.
emergents: the tops of the tallest trees, which are much higher than the average trees (the canopy).
forest floor: the ground - it is teeming with animal life, especially insects and arachnids, plus large animals (like anacondas and jaguars).
understory: a dark, cool environment that is under the leaves but over the ground. Most of the understory of a rainforest has so little light that plant growth is limited. There are short, leafy, mostly non-flowering shrubs, small trees, ferns, and vines (lianas) that have adapted to filtered light and poor soil.