1. Rainforests
Layers
Year 8 Geography- Topic 1 – Global Environments - 2011
2. Layers of the Rainforests
In tropical
rainforests, the
vegetation
grows in four
main layers,
much like a
sandwich has
layers.
3. Layers of the Rainforests
Paste handout of rainforest layers into your workbook
4. Layers of the Rainforests
Emergent's
The tallest trees in the
rainforest are emergent's,
towering as high as 40-60
metres above the forest
floor
They are called emergent's
because they ‘emerge’
from the general canopy of
trees.
Sunlight is plentiful
5. Layers of the Rainforests
Canopy
Rainforest trees form a covering or ‘canopy’ that
restricts the amount of light that makes its way to the
forest floor.
The canopy extends 25-45 metres above the forest
floor.
It is very important to the rainforest ecosystem
because it maintains a moist and cool microclimate
There are many flowers and fruits in the canopy
7. Layers of the Rainforests
Understorey
This layer only gets about 2-5% of the sunlight
available to the canopy.
It is made up of layers of trees whose growth is
limited by the taller trees of the canopy.
Plants in the understorey include the brush
bloodwood, sandpaper fig, prickly tree fern and dwarf
palm.
They rarely grow more than 3.5 metres.
9. Layers of the Rainforests
Forest Floor
The forest floor is thick with leaf litter, seeds, fruit and
branches, which decay to form humus which is the
rich top layer of soil.
The humus provides rich nutrients for further plant
growth.
There is a lot of competition for these nutrients and
that is why many trees are shallow-rooted.
10. Layers of the Rainforests
Living in the Forest Floor
11. Layers of the Rainforests
Draw up a table like the one below and
complete it in your workbook.
Refer to your notes and text as necessary
Layers Name Height Plants Animals
Layer 1
Layer 2
Layer 3
Layer 4
