Stratification (vegetation)

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The vertical stratification of a community is determined largely by the life forms of plants their size , branching and leaves which is influenced by the vertical gradient of light. Vertical classification of vegetation in a forest showing the tree, shrub and herb layers and the forest floor. This can be seen from the different heights different plants grow to reach and the stratazones they form in their respective niches.

Stratification in the field of

plants grow. The individual layers are inhabited by different animal[3] and plant communities
(stratozones).

Vertical structure in terrestrial plant habitats

Forest with canopy, shrub and herb layers of vegetation

The following layers are generally distinguished:

leaves) are found. Taller species will have part of their shoot system in the underlying layers. In addition to the above-ground stratification there is also a “root layer”. In the broadest sense, the layering of diaspores
in the soil may be counted as part of the vertical structure. The plants of a layer, especially with regard to their way of life and correspondingly similar root distribution interact closely and compete strongly for space, light, water and nutrients. The stratification of a
selection and adaptation processes. Through the formation of different layers a given habitat is better utilized. Strongly vertically stratified habitats are very stable ecosystems. The opposite is not true, because several less stratified vegetation types, such as reed beds, can be very stable. The layers of a habitat are closely interrelated and at least partly interdependent. This is often the case as a result of the changes in microclimate of the top layers, the light factor being of particular importance. [citation needed
]

View of the canopy and understory beneath

Besides the superposition of different plants growing on the same soil, there is a lateral impact of the higher layers on adjacent plant communities, for example, at the edges of forests and bushes. This particular vegetation structure results in the growth of certain vegetation types such as forest mantle and margin communities. [citation needed]

Tree layer

This layer of vegetation starts from a height of about 5 metres and comprises the top stratum, which consists of

phanerophytes. They can be about 45 metres high. The trees (and sometimes shrubs) are of various heights. One tree has its crown at the height of another’s trunk. At the top the crowns of the different species of trees form a more or less closed canopy. This layer creates special ecological conditions in the underlying layers of forests. The density of the trees determines the amount of light inside the forest. The force of heavy rainfall is reduced by the canopy and the passage of rainwater is fed more slowly downwards. The tree layer can be further subdivided into the upper tree layer or canopy and the lower tree layer or understory. [citation needed
]

Canopy

Main article: Canopy (biology)

The canopy usually refers to the highest layer of vegetation in a forest or woodland, made up of the crowns of its tallest trees. However, individual trees growing above the general layer of the canopy may form an

emergent layer. [citation needed
]

Understory

Main article: Understory

The understory can refer to those trees above the shrub layer and below the canopy, but is often defined more broadly, including the shrub layer. [citation needed]

Shrub layer

The shrub layer is the stratum of vegetation within a habitat with heights of about 1.5 to 5 metres. This layer consists mostly of young trees and bushes, and it may be divided into the first and second shrub layers (low and high bushes). The shrub layer needs sun and little moisture, unlike the moss layer which requires a lot of water. The shrub layer only receives light filtered by the canopy, i.e. it is preferred by semi-shade or shade-loving plants that would not tolerate bright sunlight. Small to medium sized birds sometimes known as bush nesters are often found in the shrub layer where their nests are protected by foliage. European examples include blackbird, song thrush, robin or blackcap. In addition to shrubs, such as elder, hazel, hawthorn, raspberry and blackberry, clematis may also occur while, in other parts of the world, vines and lianas may form part of this stratum. At the edge of a woodland the shrub layer acts as a windbreak close to the trees and protects the soil from drying out. [citation needed]

Herb layer

Further information:
herb layer
Moss layer on the forest floor

This layer contains mostly non-woody vegetation, or

ecological succession). [citation needed
]

Forest floor

Further information: Forest floor

The term forest floor can refer to the moss and root layers (see below), but often is defined more broadly, including also dead trees, herbaceous plants, mushrooms, and tree seedlings. [citation needed]

Moss layer

Growing on the surface of the forest floor is vegetation of up to about 0.15 metres in height in what is variously described as a moss, soil or

fungi, algae and microorganisms, which break down the dead organic substances and work them into the soil. In places the ground is covered by lichens and mosses. [citation needed
]

Root layer

Also known as the rhizosphere, the underground area of a plant habitat is the root layer. It consists of the plants' roots and related elements such as rhizomes, bulbs and tubers. [citation needed]

See also

References

  1. ^ Whittow, Dictionary of Physical Geography.
  2. ^ "Nine Layers of the Edible Forest Garden (Food Forest) | Temperate Climate Permaculture".
  3. PMID 33384906
    .

Bibliography
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