Vertical stratification - tropical rain forest, Biology

Assignment Help:

Vertical Stratification - Tropical Rain Forest

In a tropical rain forest, vertical stratification is very clearly seen. In addition to the different layers described above, there are lianas and climbers that twine around the .trees. A forest with four or five strata can support a greater diversity of life forms as compared to grassland with only two strata. Stratification is also seen in the underground plant parts, that is, the root and the rhizome systems. Root systems of different plant species tap moisture and nutrients from different soil depths. This enables them to avoid competition and too much exploitation of a particular soil layer.

Coming back to the above-ground parts of vegetation, the canopy which is the primary site of energy fixation, it has a major influence on the rest of the forest community.

A canopy is said to be open when considerable sunlight reaches the lower layers. In such cases the shrubs and understory tree strata are well developed. In a closed forest most of the sunlight is intercepted by tree canopies. The understory plants remain deprived of direct sunlight consequently the lower strata is comprised of shade tolerant species with poor growth of herbaceous layer. In such situations species requiring intense sunlight are absent or flourish only in the gaps created by the death of top canopy trees.


Related Discussions:- Vertical stratification - tropical rain forest

Floating plants, what are floating plants? detailed information

what are floating plants? detailed information

Problem areas in integrative and environmental biology, Q Identify truly ex...

Q Identify truly exciting problem areas in integrative and environmental biology that need an integrated approach utilizing mathematics and statistics. What questions absolutely n

Glomerular filtrate, Normal 0 false false false EN-IN ...

Normal 0 false false false EN-IN X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

What is haccp control, HACCP Control :  a) To manage the conditions of an o...

HACCP Control :  a) To manage the conditions of an operation  to maintain compliance with established criteria. b)  The state where correct procedures are being followed  and  c

Define the respiratory chain process, Q. Where in mitochondria does the pro...

Q. Where in mitochondria does the process called respiratory chain occur? Which are the products of the Krebs cycle used in that final phase of the aerobic respiration? Respira

The fragility of erythrocytes, The fragility of erythrocytes The fragil...

The fragility of erythrocytes The fragility of erythrocytes is impaired in the absence of NADPH generation due to the deficiency of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase thereby ca

Illustrate the respiratory system, Illustrate the Respiratory System In...

Illustrate the Respiratory System In general, respiration and breathing are understood to be same. But it is not so. Breathing simply means taking in oxygen from air and giving

Hypertension, High blood pressure (hypertension) has gained considerable si...

High blood pressure (hypertension) has gained considerable significance because it will eventually damage end organs like the heart, brain, kidneys and the eyes. It is estimated th

Illustrate about the term- hypnagogic hallucinations, Illustrate about the ...

Illustrate about the term- Hypnagogic hallucinations  Hypnagogic hallucinations (Greek, 'hypnos' meaning "sleep," and 'gogic' meaning "enter into") are episodes of auditory, vi

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd