This article is about the feature of a forest. For the Fergus McCreadie album, see Forest Floor.
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Forest floor of a temperate broadleaf forest showing leaf litter.
The forest floor, also called detritus or duff, is the part of a forest ecosystem that mediates between the living, aboveground portion of the forest and the mineral soil, principally composed of dead and decaying plant matter such as rotting wood and shed leaves.[1] In some countries, like Canada, forest floor refers to L, F and H organic horizons.[2] It hosts a wide variety of decomposers[3] and predators, including invertebrates, fungi, algae, bacteria, and archaea.
The forest floor serves as a bridge between the above ground living vegetation and the soil, and thus is a crucial component in nutrient transfer through the biogeochemical cycle. Leaf litter and other plant litter transmits nutrients from plants to the soil.[4] The plant litter of the forest floor (or L horizon) prevents erosion, conserves moisture, and provides nutrients to the entire ecosystem.[5] The F horizon consists of plant material in which decomposition is apparent, but the origins of plant residues are still distinguishable.[2] The H horizon consists of well-decomposed plant material so that plant residues are not recognizable, with the exception of some roots or wood.[2]
The nature of the distinction between organisms "in" the soil and components "of" the soil is disputed, with some questioning whether such a distinction exists at all.[6] The majority of carbon storage and biomass production in forests occurs below ground.[7] Despite this, conservation policy and scientific study tends to neglect the below-ground portion of the forest ecosystem.[8] As a crucial part of soil and the below-ground ecosystem,[9] the forest floor profoundly impacts the entire forest.
Much of the energy and carbon fixed by forests is periodically added to the forest floor through litterfall, and a substantial portion of the nutrient requirements of forest ecosystems is supplied by decomposition of organic matter in the forest floor and soil surface. Decomposers, such as arthropods and fungi, are necessary for the transformation of dead organic matter to usable nutrients. The sustained productivity of forests is closely linked with the decomposition of shed plant parts, particularly the nutrient-rich foliage. The forest floor is also an important fuel source in forest fires.
^"Forest Floor, Definitions and Importance".
^ abcGreen, R.N.; Trowbridge, R.L.; Klinka, K. (1993). Towards a taxonomic classification of humus forms. Forest Science.
^Ochoa-Hueso, R; Delgado-Baquerizo, M; King, PTA; Benham, M; Arca, V; Power, SA (February 2019). "Ecosystem type and resource quality are more important than global change drivers in regulating early stages of litter decomposition". Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 129: 144–152. doi:10.1016/j.soilbio.2018.11.009. hdl:10261/336676. S2CID 92606851.
^Zhang, Guangqi; Zhang, Ping; Peng, Shouzhang; Chen, Yunming; Cao, Yang (2017). "The coupling of leaf, litter, and soil nutrients in warm temperate forests in northwestern China". Scientific Reports. 7 (1): 11754. Bibcode:2017NatSR...711754Z. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-12199-5. PMC 5603570. PMID 28924160.
^Stohr, Whitney J. (2013). "BELOWGROUND ECOSYSTEMS: THE FOUNDATION FOR FOREST HEALTH, RESTORATION AND SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT". Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management. 15 (4). doi:10.1142/S1464333213500191.
^Gregory, Peter J. (2022). "RUSSELL REVIEW Are plant roots only "in" soil or are they "of" it? Roots, soil formation and function". European Journal of Soil Science. 73. doi:10.1111/ejss.13219. S2CID 247053783.
^Box, Olivia (22 October 2021). "Why the Belowground Ecosystem Matters". daily.jstor.org.
^Stohr, Whitney J. (2013). "BELOWGROUND ECOSYSTEMS: THE FOUNDATION FOR FOREST HEALTH, RESTORATION AND SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT". Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management. 15 (4). doi:10.1142/S1464333213500191.
^Veen, Ciska; Fry, Ellen L; ten Hooven, Freddy C.; Kardol, Paul; Morrien, Elly; De Long, Jonathan R. (2019). "The Role of Plant Litter in Driving Plant-Soil Feedbacks". Frontiers in Environmental Science. 7. doi:10.3389/fenvs.2019.00168. hdl:20.500.11755/5ca13e54-6718-4c4e-a6a3-e1dade0eaa68.
The forestfloor, also called detritus or duff, is the part of a forest ecosystem that mediates between the living, aboveground portion of the forest and...
ForestFloor is the third studio album by Scottish jazz pianist Fergus McCreadie, released on 8 April 2022 by Edition Records. The album was recorded 6–8...
building of cranes and walkways planted on the forestfloor. The science of accessing tropical forest canopy using airships or similar aerial platforms...
dropping its fronds onto the forestfloor, the shade, soil, and forest duff from the dropped fronds creating the early forest. The shed organic matter altered...
populated canopy layer, the understory layer rich in wildlife, and the forestfloor, which is sparse due to low light penetration. The soil is characteristically...
boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, and larches. The taiga or boreal forest is...
of their families and contact a suicide prevention association. The forestfloor mostly consists of volcanic rock. Designated trails lead to several tourist...
Infected hosts leave their canopy nests and foraging trails for the forestfloor, an area with a temperature and humidity suitable for fungal growth;...
herb layer which is the forestfloor. The forestfloor is mainly bare except for various plants, mosses, and ferns. The forestfloor is much more dense than...
to decompose. This leaf litter creates an acidic forestfloor that is distinct to coniferous forests. Because of the types of leaves possessed by conifers...
where it hunts its invertebrate prey, and builds a nest of sticks on the forestfloor. Both parents share incubation of a single egg, as well as rearing the...
encountered on the dry forestfloor, while a number of species of small frogs, such as spring peepers (Pseudacris crucifer), enliven the forest with their calls...
Forestfloor interception is the part of the (net) precipitation or throughfall that is temporarily stored in the top layer of the forestfloor and successively...
depending on them. Other moss forests include black spruce/feathermoss climax forest, with a moderately dense canopy and a forestfloor of feathermosses, including...
will begin producing aerial roots that grow toward the forestfloor. Once they reach the forestfloor, nutrients can be obtained directly from the soil. In...
Palawan binturong (Arctictis binturong whitei) are collected from the forestfloor and cleaned. Producers of the coffee beans argue that the process may...
the forestfloor National Park Service sign at the entrance of the park The Hoh River that runs through the forest A herd of elk grazing at the forest A...
as leader of a piano trio and one solo EP to date. His third album, ForestFloor, was shortlisted for the 2022 Mercury Prize, and won the Scottish Album...
rates. In an undisturbed forest, the mineral soil is protected by a layer of leaf litter and an humus that cover the forestfloor. These two layers form...
through the reduced thickness of forestfloor where low soil temperatures are a limiting factor. The Picea/Abies forests of the Alberta foothills are often...
is largely oak, chestnut, and pine trees, and ferns cover much of the forestfloor. Common animal life consists of wild boar, red deer, roe deer, hares...
plant spreads itself horizontally, carpeting an entire small area of forestfloor, sending roots into the substrate at each leaf node. Maranta, in-addition...
snow that ultimately reaches and melts on the forestfloor. A defining factor of temperate deciduous forests is their leaf loss during the transition from...
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