emergents
/ɪˈmɜrdʒənts/
noun
- Plants, especially trees, that grow above the main canopy of a forest.
- In the rainforest, emergents like the kapok tree rise high above the other trees.
- Emergents receive more sunlight than the trees below them in the forest.
- Birds often perch on emergents to scan the surrounding area for food.
- New species or groups that arise through the process of evolution.
- Biologists study emergents to understand how new life forms develop.
- Some emergents, like birds, evolved from earlier reptile ancestors.
- The fossil record shows emergents that appeared after major environmental changes.