Mochi Isle
Forest layers · Rainforest ValleyScience for kidsWhy does a rainforest have layers?
In short: A rainforest has layers: tall emergent trees, the leafy canopy, the shady understorey and the dark forest floor. Each layer gets a different amount of light, warmth and moisture, so different plants and animals live in each one.
How it works
Rainforest plants are all racing for sunlight. The tallest trees poke out above the rest as emergents, where the sun is strongest and the wind is fiercest. Below them is the canopy, where treetops crowd together like open umbrellas, forming a leafy roof that blocks most of the light.
Under the canopy is the understorey, a dim layer of young trees, shrubs and ferns. Their leaves are often big and thin to catch the little light that leaks through. At the bottom is the forest floor, the darkest and dampest layer, covered in fallen leaves, moss and fungi.
The layers are like floors in a tall building. The sunny top floors have flowers and fruit and are busy with birds and insects. The cool, damp ground floor is where fungi, worms and tiny creatures break down fallen leaves into nutrients that feed the trees again.
Where to see it in New Zealand
Many of New Zealand's native forests are temperate rainforests, and they have layers too. In Waipoua Forest in Northland, the giant kauri Tāne Mahuta towers above the canopy, tree ferns such as the silver fern fill the understorey, and moss covers the floor. Stay on the track and clean your shoes at the cleaning stations to protect kauri from disease.
Try it together
With an adult, walk from an open field into a patch of bush or a shady park. Notice how the light dims and whether the air feels cooler and damper. Look up and count the layers you can see: tall trees, small trees, shrubs, and ferns or grass on the ground.
Kids also ask
Which layer has the most animals?
In tropical rainforests it's usually the canopy, which has the most leaves, flowers and fruit. Many birds, insects and monkeys spend almost their whole lives up there and rarely touch the ground.
How do plants survive on the dark forest floor?
Many are shade-lovers that can get by on very little light. Some young trees wait patiently on the ground until a big tree falls, then race upward into the patch of sunlight.
In the game, “Forest layers” is a nature card on Rainforest Valley.
Your child finds this card by reaching the right place or meeting the right weather on the island, and lights it up by answering the question on the back. Tap the button below and the game shows your child which island it is on and how to find it. Mochi Isle is a browser learning game for ages 5 to 18; the main island and the daily lesson are free.
Find “Forest layers” on the island ↗ All cards from Rainforest Valley