As I walk through the dense tropical forest here on BCI, an island in the Panama Canal, very little sunlight reaches the ground because there are so many leaves above catching the rays for photosynthesis. Plants and trees race to grow tall quickly so they can get above the canopy to the top emergent layer of the forest where sun is plentiful.
Vines are masters of growing quickly to reach the sun because instead of building their own sturdy base and trunk, they grow on tree trunks to reach the precious sunlight. There are hundreds of different types of vines here. Some are thin with delicate green leaves and others are thick and woody and can be so strong that they actually strangle and kill their host tree. And you know that some vines are strong enough that Tarzan and Jane could swing on them.
What a great adaptation for reaching the high forest layer quickly by using their precious energy to grow quickly rather than needing to grow wide and sturdy.
- Fran Zakutansky
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