What Is The Canopy Layer Of A Forest?
The canopy layer of a rainforest is the second layer of trees. It is the layer below the emergent layer. Trees in the canopy layer rise upto a maximum height of 150 metres. The leaves of most canopy trees are smooth in texture and oval in shape. This smooth and oval surface is an adaptation which enables the canopy trees to shed rainwater quickly and discourages the growth of lichens and mosses. The leaves of trees in the canopy layer are modified so as to protect themselves from the intensely high level of radiation emitted by the sun’s rays. The leaves filter out about 80 per cent of the light and prevent it from getting transmitted to the levels below. The canopy layer is a natural habitat for many varieties of animals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects. Some of the creatures that live in the canopies of trees are ants, bats, beetles, hummingbirds, monkeys, parrots, sloths, snakes and treefrogs.
