Jays use the leaves as cover for their cache of nuts and acorns. Ovenbirds forage in the dead leaves, and constructs their nests, the “oven,” on the ground. Salamanders, toads and other small amphibians rely on the shelter and moisture provided by the leaves and eat small invertebrates found there.īirds such as Common Yellowthroats, juncos, White-crowned Sparrows, towhees, mockingbirds, thrashers, jays, thrushes, quails, pheasants and Wild Turkeys all feed in leaf litter. Fly larvae or maggots, including crane flies, fungus gnats, house flies, and hover flies, all can be found in the leaf litter, aiding in decomposition. Many moth caterpillars, like Isabella Tiger Moths and Leopard Moths, create their cocoons under the leaf litter, relying on the protection and insulation of the leaves to overwinter. Crickets that you hear singing in late summer and fall hide in the leaves and construct burrows in the soil beneath. Web-spinning spiders anchor their webs in the leaves. Wolf spiders and jumping spiders hunt in the cover of the leaves for insects. Harvestmen, or daddy longlegs, patrol the leaves for decaying material or other small animals they manage to catch. Beetles of all sorts roam in the leaves, feeding on the plant material or hunting other small arthropods and mollusks, like slugs and snails. Indian Pipe (Monotropa uniflora) gets nutrients from nutrients in fungi in the soil.īesides serving as food, the leaves are an important habitat for many insects and arachnids. Thus, the fallen leaves form an essential part of many nutrient cycles and food webs. All of the small creatures that live in and feed on the leaves, in turn, can be food for small predatory arthropods and other animals. These convert the leaf pieces to minerals and nutrients, which can be used by the trees and other plants. Organisms such as bacteria and fungi are the primary agents of this decomposition. Their feces, known as castings, are a site for microorganism activity. Earthworms are perhaps one of the better known of these they eat the leaves and break them down into tiny pieces. They are detrivores, meaning they feed on dead material. Small animals and arthropods such as mites, springtails, nematodes, woodlice or pillbugs, and millipede feed on the dead leaves. Below this is the humus, which is rich and black and consists of completely rotted plant and animal matter. These leaves tend to be moister as water becomes trapped here, and the leaves are broken down. Below this is the fermenting layer, where leaves are compacted and already rotting. The leaves at this top layer on the ground are known as the litter layer. It loses even more color as the cells desiccate and die most leaves become a brownish color. Once on the ground, and away from the nourishment of the tree, the leaf begins to dry out and decompose. Once fluid movement is stopped, the leaves fall to the ground. After the leaves change color, they prepare to drop by shutting off their veins’ connections to the tree. A warm summer with cool nights increases sugar production and retention, which increases the red anthocyanin content in leaves, creating a more dramatic fall leaf color. The brilliance of the fall palette is also influenced by temperature and moisture. For example, oaks are often some of the last trees to change color and drop their leaves. Different species do this at different times. As chlorophyll disappears, the orange and yellow carotenoids and red anthocyanins are revealed. As days grow shorter and nights grow longer, this signals the trees that they should slow production of essential compounds, like chlorophyll in the leaves. Leaves change color primarily due to the influence of day length. Leaves are used for food, shelter, and eventually become the new rich topsoil for future plants to thrive on. This leaf litter is essential for many animals and the temperate forest ecosystem. In temperate zones like ours, deciduous trees drop their leaves in the fall, creating a beneficial layer of dead leaves, or leaf litter, on the ground. But the leaves on the ground are actually an important part of our ecosystem, and it is much better to leave them be (pun intended). We can’t help but notice the leaves as they change color on the trees around us this time of year, but what about after they fall to the ground? Many people tidily rake and bag up or blow away these leaves. Who doesn’t love the fresh, crispy crunch of a fallen leaf? It can’t be just me! Fall is once again here, so let’s turn our attention to the hallmark of the season-the autumn leaf.
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