"Strata" means "layers." Scientists divide
rainforests into different strata (or layers) for easy reference.
Each of these layers is a very different environment and supports
different life forms.
These strata differ in many ways, including temperature, the amount
of sunlight that they receive, the wetness of the environment, and
the amount and types of life forms living in it.
EMERGENTS The emergents consist of the tops of the tallest trees, which
are much higher than the average canopy height (ranging up to 270
feet or 81 m). It houses many birds (like the scarlet macaw),
insects, and more.
CANOPY The canopy is the name given to the upper parts 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 (like the keel-billed
toucan, the scarlet macaw, the cuckoo, and the hornbill), mammals
(like the howler monkey, which is the second-loudest animal in the
world, and the orangutan), reptiles (like snakes and lizards), and
others. Plants in the canopy include thick, snake-like vines and
epiphytes ("air plants") like mosses, lichens, and orchids (which
grow on trees).
UNDERSTORY The understory is 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. Some of
these plants include ferns, palms, philodendrons, and heliconias.
Animals in the understory include insects (like beetles and bees),
arachnids, snakes, lizards, and small mammals (like the kinkajou)
that live on and in tree bark. Some birds (like antbirds) live and
nest within tree recesses and eat the abundant insects. Some larger
animals, like jaguars, spend a lot of time on branches in the
understory, surveying the area, looking for prey.
FOREST
FLOOR The floor of the forest is teeming with animal life,
especially insects and arachnids (like tarantulas). The largest
animals in the rainforest generally live here, including gorillas,
anteaters, wild boars, tapirs, jaguars, and people.
EMERGENTS