 Abundant habitats and niches  Canopy: Emergents: highest trees ( ft tall)  no branches at low levels  Buttresses  Umbrella-shaped canopy Middle Layer ( ft tall)  Reduces light below Lower Layer ( ft tall)  High humidity, lack of air movement

 Buttresses: woody flanges  thin bark; protective thorns and spikes  Large leaves in lower layer  Drip tips

 Shrub layer: woody seedlings; palms < 3% light  Ground layer Herbs and ferns Very humid, dark (<1% light)  1/3 ppt intercepted

lianas: woody climbers epiphytes (“air plants”) Stranglers Heterotrophic plants (non- photosynthetic) Saprophytes Parasites

lianas

Abundant and diverse decomposers

 stranglers

 Some strategies: Adaptation to arboreal Bright colors Loud sounds Fruit diets Diurnal patterns Highly specialized : 3 toed sloth feeds only on Cecropia tree