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Rainforest Canopy: Light Competition & Stratification (2D)

2D forest-canopy lab: real Beer-Lambert light attenuation through leaf area index drives Michaelis-Menten light-limited tree growth, so a planted stand self-organizes into emergent, closed-canopy and understory strata as trees compete for light.

Nature & Climate2DModerate60 FPS📱 Mobile-adapted⇄ 3D version

This 2D companion drives a real light-competition model instead of orbiting a decorative scene: a side-view cross-section of a planted transect integrates Beer–Lambert light attenuation through the leaf area index of every crown above each tree, feeds that light into a Michaelis–Menten growth-response curve, and lets a gap-model mortality/recruitment loop run for years of simulated time — so the emergent/canopy/understory stratification that defines a real rainforest canopy appears on screen as a genuine emergent outcome of the competition, not a fixed layout.

⚙ Under the hood

2D forest-canopy lab with Beer-Lambert light attenuation through leaf area index, Michaelis-Menten light-limited growth, and a gap-model mortality/recruitment loop that produces real emergent canopy stratification over simulated years.

rainforest canopybeer-lambert lawleaf area indexlight competitionforest ecologycanopy stratification

2D · HTML5 Canvas 2D · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install