In relation to the ecological group, copaíba are classified as long-living, late secondary, and climax tree species, demanding of light but tolerant to shade . They are considered generalists because they are adapted to a wide variety of environments. They can occur in floodplains, riparian forest, and streams of the Amazon basin and the forests of the Cerrado in the center of Brazil . C. langsdorffii, for example, has great ecological plasticity, occurring in several biomes, such as Cerrado, Atlantic Forest, Caatinga, and Amazon rainforest . Copaifera species have great plasticity in relation to edaphic conditions; they occur in areas with fertile soil and well-drained soil and in areas with very poor acidic soils, such as Cerrado fields. They grow well on sandy and clayey soils and generally occupy the forest canopy .