Question

Explain why each of these factors changes as the distance from the canopy increases:

a) light intensity
B) wind speed
C) humidity

Answer 1

Answer 1

Option A - Light intensity

Step-by-step explanation

It decreases as the distance increases and spreads out to a larger surface. Light intensity is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the canopy which means light intensity is opposite to the distance because when the distance increases, the intensity of light decreases according to the distance. The light gradually spreads out and covers a larger area of the canopy. It also affects the rate of photosynthesis which causes the process to slow down and being a limiting factor, the concentration of carbon dioxide and temperature also decreases.

Answer 2

Option B - Wind speed

Step-by-step explanation

It increases as the height increases due to less friction that produces by land terrain. As the friction decreases, the wind loses its kinetic energy which allows it to flow freely and also the wind speeds up at a higher level because it does not collide with any obstacle like rock or house and reaches the canopy with higher speed as it is at a height above the ground and the influence of friction is very less.

Answer 3

Option C - Humidity

Step-by-step explanation

It decreases as the distance increases because trees together provide an evaporative cooling effect that decreases the air temperature but if there is a distance the humidity decreases as the overall cooling effect decreases. The transpiration also decreases which causes a reduction in the loss of water from the leaves and due to that humidity gets affected because the amount of water vapor present in the air decreases.

Answer 2

a) The answer is; light intensity decreases with distance from the canopy. This is because the canopy blocks light from reaching the forest floor. The thicker the canopy the lower the light intensity. This is why the forest floor has little vegetation in forests with thick canopies.

b) Wind speed decreases with distance from the canopy. Trees are windbreakers. They reduce the intensity of winds by blocking the path of the winds. The inside of forests has low wind intensities compared to the outskirts. This fact also contributes to forests bringing in the rain by slowing down winds that bring in the rain.

c) Humidity increase with increasing distance from the canopy. This is because relative humidity increases as temperature decreases. Below the canopy is cooler than above the canopy because sunlight does not get to the forest floor. As the forest plants transpire the air below the canopy is easily saturated with humidity that above the canopy.