Back to Peter Metcalfe's Home Page Wait for the Light Many of the trees of the forest have seeds that germinate very quickly in the moist hot-house atmosphere of the forest floor. This contrasts with the longevity of seeds of trees from the temperate zone which have to at least stay dormant until winter is over.
Some species have seeds that remain viable for years.
Even though rain forest seeds germinate quickly the seedlings remain alive for years, waiting for a break to occur in the canopy above. The seedlings will not develop in the low light conditions of the intact forest but will grow rapidly upwards to fill any gap that occurs above them. It is the fruits that disperse the seeds in space but it is the seedlings that disperse the plants in time. Seedling investigation Look for the seedling bank that is present on the forest floor. See how many seedlings and how many types of seedlings are growing in an area of forest floor.