Final answer:
Understory plants in temperate forests are adapted to capture limited light, due to the shade provided by the canopy of trees above them.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understory plants in a temperate forest have adaptations to capture limited light. This is due to the canopy of trees above, which leaf out and create shade on the forest floor, especially in the late spring. As a result, understory plants have evolved to make the most of the available light; for example, spring ephemeral plants grow quickly and complete their life cycle early in the season before the canopy leaves fully develop. The soils in temperate forests are also rich in nutrients, which means that nutrient capture is typically not as limiting as sunlight for understory plants.
Understory plants in a temperate forest have adaptations to capture limited light. This is because the trees in the forest canopy shade the understory plants. To successfully capture available light, some understory plants have adaptations such as rapid growth in the spring before the trees develop leaves.Additionally, temperate forests have soils that are rich in inorganic and organic nutrients compared to tropical rainforests. The thick layer of leaf litter on the forest floor in temperate forests provides nutrients to the plants as it decays