The climbers' strategy looks chaotic but there's method in their madness. Their growing tips circle like lassoes, searching out anchors for their spindly stems. They put coils in their tendrils so that if their support moves, they will stretch and not snap. But the frontrunners at this stage, the first to fill the clearing, are pioneers like the macarangas. Their immense leaves capture huge amounts of sunlight, so fuelling their growth. As a result the macarangas grow a remarkable eight metres a year surging ahead of almost all their rivals. In the race for the top spot hundreds will start yet few will ever reach the finishing line, their growth cut short by the diminishing light.


攀援植物的策略看上去杂乱无序，但实际上它们在疯狂中有自己的章程。它们茎藤的顶端弯曲成套索状，不停地为它们细长的茎藤寻找支撑物。它的卷曲绕成圆圈，这些卷曲可以伸缩而不至于折断。最先占领大片林间空地的是血桐树之类的快速生长者，它们大而密的叶子吸收了大量的阳光，促进了它们的生长。结果血桐树一年就长高了八米，几乎把所有的竞争者都甩在了后面。最初站在起跑线上的有数百位，但是到达终点的却极少，多数植物因为得不到阳光而停止了生长。