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Open Canopy Vs. Closed Canopy

Plants sometimes form canopies when they grow close together, which means that the tops of the canopies create a shaded lower area as they block sunlight from reaching the ground. Shaded areas prevent some plants from growing. Those plants that can tolerate low sunlight do not grow very fast, and low-sunlight areas are much less dense, with people often able to walk through these areas without obstruction.

Closed Canopy Lower Species Survival
- Closed canopy areas do not have as many invasive weeds, which can sap the soil of nutrients. However, these closed canopies can also kill off many important native species that can't grow tall enough to reach the sunlight and cannot tolerate low sunlight. Some plants serve as important food sources for animals or protect the soil from wind and water erosion, which removes nutrients from the soil.
Open Canopy Vegetation Density
- Open canopy environments do not have trees that completely block the sun. Most plants receive sunlight at least part of the day as the sun moves across the sky. This allows more plants to thrive, often leading to denser vegetation.
Energy Exchange
- Open canopy forests have a much greater mass and energy exchange between the forest and the atmosphere, compared with the closed canopy forest. Open canopy forests also have a greater amount of water vapor exchange and heat exchange than in a closed one. Soil processes are different with open canopy forests compared with closed canopies, since more sunlight strikes the ground. Sunlight increases the soil temperature and benefits smaller photosynthetic organisms.
Transformation
- Forests normally move from open canopy to closed canopy, as plants grow taller and compete with other plants for sunlight. Closed canopies turn into open canopies when conditions aren't conducive to plant growth, such as during a fire or heavy flooding. Large trees can die off and create openings, which encourages new plant growth. Over time, some plants can grow tall enough to form canopies again. These canopies form gradually, with the shorter plants receiving less and less sunlight as the taller plants accumulate more foliage.
Rainforest Layers
- Rainforests usually have closed canopies; compared with open canopies, the closed canopies of the rainforests cause organic matter on the forest floor to decompose quickly, since darker conditions encourage fungal growth. Understory layers can receive some sunlight as plants stretch their leaves out to reach sunlight. The canopy layer has the majority of the vegetation. Some trees grow taller than the canopy, where they have even more access to sunlight.

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