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18     forest canopy
DHJanzen100327.jpg
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A multispecies tropical rainforest canopy (there are at least 200 species of trees in this photograph in southwestern Costa Rica, more species than in the entire eastern USA). The irregularity in the canopy (the grond below is nearly flat) is created by the different abilities of the different species to extend and shape their crowns (as well as tolerate shade of the neighbors), and by the different ages of the individuals. See image DHJanzen100327.jpg below for a lateral dissection of this object.
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