Fallen canopy trees open light gaps that restart forest succession
When a giant snaps or uproots, a bright shaft punches through the shade. Pioneer seedlings race into the gap; later shade-tolerant species reclaim it as the canopy closes again.
Gap dynamics mosaic a rainforest into patches of different ages — the engine behind much of its structure and species turnover.
Destruction on one trunk is creation for a hundred saplings. Forests renew themselves one fallen crown at a time.
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