I remember in fifth grade learning about the different canopy layers of a jungle. You've got your really tall trees - the Emergent layer. Then comes the tallest trees that form a continuous layer - the upper canopy. From there it's a jumble of trees, vines, shrubs, and other plants of different heights until you finally get to the very bottom, where very little direct sunlight ever reaches.
My teacher used the analogy of a building with several stories to help us understand the concept. The analogy bothered me at the time, because the trees aren't actually standing on top of each other - they are all rooted at one level - in the ground. Or so I thought.
Now, I knew that there were parasitic plants, such as mistletoe and epiphytes like Orchids, but it was really surprising to me that something as large as a tree could grow anywhere other than the soil.
Well, it turns out they DO grow in the soil. Because of the high humidity and moisture, bacteria quickly break down leaves caught in tree branches into a fine, organic soil called humus (no, not hummus, which is much tastier on pitas). This soil, suspended at dizzying heights above the ground, can support plant growth, even quite large plants.
Here's a picture of a mata-palos (literally "kills sticks") tree near Ecaudor's coast. This tree reproduces by seeds being dropped by a bird into a patch of humus at the top of another tree, often a palm. It then germinates, and grows for several years, while waiting for roots that it sends out to dangle down to the ground and connect. The roots gradually engulf the host tree, allowing the mata-palos to steal it's place.
In a world where competition for light is fierce, getting your start 20 yards closer to the sun can be a real advantage. It's a jungle out there, and the tallest guy usually wins.
..Isaac..
This post is part of the Forest and Farm series.
My teacher used the analogy of a building with several stories to help us understand the concept. The analogy bothered me at the time, because the trees aren't actually standing on top of each other - they are all rooted at one level - in the ground. Or so I thought.
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| Yup, that's a palm tree. Growing out of the top of another tree. Photo by Kirstie Bickford |
Well, it turns out they DO grow in the soil. Because of the high humidity and moisture, bacteria quickly break down leaves caught in tree branches into a fine, organic soil called humus (no, not hummus, which is much tastier on pitas). This soil, suspended at dizzying heights above the ground, can support plant growth, even quite large plants.
Here's a picture of a mata-palos (literally "kills sticks") tree near Ecaudor's coast. This tree reproduces by seeds being dropped by a bird into a patch of humus at the top of another tree, often a palm. It then germinates, and grows for several years, while waiting for roots that it sends out to dangle down to the ground and connect. The roots gradually engulf the host tree, allowing the mata-palos to steal it's place.
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| Germán and Isaac standing in the mata-palos tree. The trunk at the right side of the picture is actually a cluster of roots from the same tree. The tree will continue sending down new roots from branches for it's entire life. |
In a world where competition for light is fierce, getting your start 20 yards closer to the sun can be a real advantage. It's a jungle out there, and the tallest guy usually wins.
..Isaac..
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