Sunlit Quaruba (Vochysia hondurensis) tree cotyledon growing in leaf litter on a tropical rainforest floor getting sunlight from sun spot, Belize

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Only a small portion of sunlight at the forest canopy reaches the litter layer in tropical evergreen forests, so the forest floor is relatively dark. Intense, short-lived, sun flecks such as this one can account for a high proportion of the light reaching the ground and therefore be very important for seedling growth and regeneration. Light levels were measured at less than 2 percent of external light on this riparian forest floor.

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Size: 3030px × 2012px
Location: Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, Cayo District, Belize
Photo credit: © Rosanne Tackaberry / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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