The Forest Floor Layer

Dead leaves fallen from the plants in the layers above cover the ground.

The forest floor layer.

Decomposition is the process by which fungi and microorganisms break down dead plants and animals and recycle essential materials and nutrients. Large leafed shrubs and saplings new trees grow in the patches of sunlight. The forest floor is also where decomposition takes place. The herb layer of the forest is dominated by herbaceous or soft stemmed plants such as grasses ferns wildflowers and other ground covers.

1 mainly contains decomposing plant material such as leaves bark branches and stems. The forest floor also called detritus duff and the o horizon is one of the most distinctive features of a forest ecosystem. Although principally composed of non living organic material the forest floor also teems with a wide variety of fauna and flora. The forest floor also known as the o horizon of the soil profile or the litter layer fig.

Also many of the largest rainforest animals are found on the forest floor. Incorporation of specific types of materials from the forest floor into lower soil horizons is related to stand age and the community composition of earthworms. The forest floor is the lowest layer where it is dark hot and damp. Only two percent of sunlight gets through the thick canopy trees and understory plants to reach the forest floor.

The forest floor is where recycling occurs fungi insects bacteria and earthworms are among the many organisms that break down waste materials and ready them for reuse and recycling throughout the forest system.