Layers of El Yunque
El Yunque is a magnificent rain forest. As all forests, it has layers that describe how much organisms live there and how much sun light is there between other things. Here you will learn about all four of them.
Emergent Layer
In the Emergent layer, giant trees rise above the canopy layer and have huge mushroom-shaped crowns. These trees receive the most amount of sunlight, but must overcome high temperatures, low humidity, and very strong winds.
Canopy Layer
In the Canopy Layer the broad, inrregular tops of the trees here form a tight ansd continous canopy. This canopy is found from 60 to 90 feet above the ground. The branches here are extremely covered with epiphytes and tied together by lianas. In the Canopy Layer almost 90% of the organisms that inhabit El Yunque live here. These animals are mostly seeking the brighter light in the tree tops.
Picture taken by Webshots member: Mhclabaugh
Understory
The Understory Layer receives only 2-15% that is received in the Canopy Layer, so the Understory Layer is a pretty dark place. It is relatively opened and has young trees and plants that are adapted to this small amount of light. Most of the plants that are mostly put in houses are actually from this layer. Only along rivers, roadways, in treefall, and in cut areas is sunlight plentiful to allow growth to become thick and impenetrable.
Forest Floor
The Forest Floor receives less than 2% of sunlight that the other layers receive. Only plants and animals that are used to the very low amount of sunlight live can here. On the floor, you can find a thin layer of fallen leaves, branches, ect. that decay very quickly and form a thin layer of decaying organic matter.
If you want to get a better idea about how this looks all put together, just look at the picture bellow.
Picture drawn or taken by: http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/1806/page2.html
