Explain how plants living under the canopy of forest tress are able to survive.

Under the canopy of trees there is very little light and a lot of leaf litter

• The plants possess leaves with much chlorophyll to maximize trapping of light for photosynthesis.
• Some undergo etiolation possibly due to much gibberellins to receive light
• Some have broad leaves to maximize trapping of light for photosynthesis
• Some have adopted a parasitic mode of life and are found developing from the stems of tall forest trees as epiphytic feeders.
• Some have climbing stems. This makes them capable of reaching out to light by growing their leaves beyond the forest canopy.
• Some have breathing roots that grow up from the water logged soils to allow for proper gaseous exchange.
• Some plants such as the ferns have tissues that are well adapted to live in the water logged soils of the forest.
• Some plants are well adapted to photosynthesize at low light intensities below the forest canopy.
• Some plants form symbiotic relationships with the forest trees and other saprophytic organisms (such as fungi) in order to obtain enough nourishment.
• Some have adopted C₄ photosynthetic pathway, making them more efficient at photosynthesis.
• Most plants have a higher chloroplast density in their leaves compared to the tall forest tress. This makes them efficient at trapping the low light that reaches them below the forest canopy.
• Some plants are more efficient at trapping and utilizing light of different wavelength from that trapped by the tall trees. Thus, they can still be able to receive this after the tall trees have trapped the rest from the light spectrum.
• Some of the plants such as the insectivorous plants are heterotrophic feeders and so require a minimum amount of light which they can sufficiently receive even below the forest canopy.
• Most plants possess an extensive surface root system in order to obtain enough aeration in the water logged forest soils.
• Most plants are seasonal, growing only when conditions are favorable.