In a forest shorter trees do not survive as well as trees that reach the top of the canopy. why is this the case?

The reason why in forests shorter trees do not survive as well as trees that reach the top of the canopy, would be: light distribution and access to sunlight.

Explanation:

It must be remembered that sunlight is a vital element for plant survival; without it, photosynthesis cannot take place, or will not be as efficient as it would be if there was full access to sunlight. Sunlight activates the electrons on clorophyll and with that a plant is able to produce ATP, which is the basic energy-producing unit in any living cell.

As such, in dense forests where we have tall and shorter, trees, those that reach the highest point of the canopy have access to most of the sunlight, while the shorter ones have to make do with whatever filters through the branches of the others. Thus, by not having as much access to sunlight, their photosynthetic processes are not as efficient. Those that adapt to lesser amounts of light, will survive, but the others won´t.

imagine a line passing through the center of earth that goes through both the north pole and the south pole. this imaginary line is called an axis. earth spins around its axis, just as a top spins around its spindle. this spinning movement is called earth's rotation. at the same time that the earth spins on its axis, it also orbits, or revolves around the sun. this movement is called revolution.