understory

understory — 名詞

1. the lower plant layer in a forest, made up of shrubs, young trees, and other pla

1.名詞C2
釋義

林下層

森林樹冠下的灌木與幼樹層

the lower plant layer in a forest, made up of shrubs, young trees, and other plants growing below the main tree cover

例句

Minh spotted a squirrel darting through the dense understory at dawn.

Minh 在黎明時看見一隻松鼠穿過茂密的林下層。

collocation: dense understory

After the fire, sunlight reached the understory and young ferns spread fast.

火災後，陽光照進林下層，年輕的蕨類很快蔓延開來。

pattern: sunlight reached the understory

同義詞
  • understorey

    same meaning; chiefly the British spelling

  • undergrowth

    less technical and usually focuses on thick low plants rather than the whole forest layer

  • shrub layer

    narrower; emphasizes shrubs more than the full mix of lower plants and young trees

反義詞
  • overstory

    the upper tree layer above the understory

  • canopy

    the leaf cover overhead, rather than the lower vegetation beneath it

文法句型

the understory

in the understory

dense understory

understory below the canopy

用法筆記

Used mainly in ecology and forestry for the whole plant layer below the canopy. It is broader than undergrowth, which usually emphasizes tangled low plants, and British English often spells it understorey.

常見錯誤

❌The birds nested in the understory above the tallest pines.
✅The birds nested in the canopy above the tallest pines.
💡understory is the lower plant layer, not the top tree cover.