canopy

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canopy The part of a woodland or forest community that is formed by the trees. In complex forests, e.g. in tropical rain forest, the canopy is often arbitrarily subdivided into emergent, middle, and lower zones. The term may also be applied to the upper layer of shrub and scrub communities, or any terrestrial plant community in which a distinctive habitat is formed in the upper, denser regions of the taller plants. Compare ground layer.

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