KAM IZGINJA LISTJE?
Tisočletni procesi razkrajanja so v gozdnih tleh ustvarili bogastvo, ki rastlinam predstavlja vir za novo življenje.
Gozdna tla nastajajo z razgradnjo opada in preperevanjem matične podlage. Sestavljena so iz mineralov, organskih snovi, vode, zraka in številnih organizmov. Vse to se nahaja v različnih plasteh tal, imenovanih horizonti.
Tla v gozdu so življenjski prostor številnih živali, gliv in mikroorganizmov ter kar vrvijo od življenja, ki ga s prostim očesom sicer ne vidimo. Ti organizmi v gozdnih tleh razgrajujejo organske snovi in sodelujejo pri nastanku humusa. Tla sicer nastajajo zelo počasi, do 3 cm v tisoč letih, zato je njihovo varovanje pred onesnaženjem in erozijo še posebej pomembno.
Drevesa s svojim koreninskim sistemom iz tal črpajo mineralne snovi in jih vgrajujejo v liste, veje in debla. Odpadlo listje, veje in les se s pomočjo živali in mikroorganizmov razgradijo na elemente, ki so ponovno dostopni rastlinam. S tem je sklenjen neprekinjen tok kroženja snovi v gozdu.
Na m2 tal živi do globine 30 cm bilijon bakterij, milijarda gliv, milijon alg, več kot milijon majhnih živalic, 100 hroščkov z ličinkami ter 50 pajkov, polžev in stenic.
WHERE DO LEAVES DISAPPEAR?
Millennia-long processes of decomposition have created an abundant forest floor, which is a source of new life for plants.
Forest floor is formed by decomposition of shed vegetative parts and weathering of the parent material. It is composed of minerals, organic substances, water, air and various organisms. All this is located in various layers of the floor, called horizons.
Forest floor is a habitat of many animals, fungi and microorganisms and is teeming with life, most of which cannot be seen with the naked eye. These organisms in the forest floor decompose organic matter and participate in the production of humus. The floor is generated extremely slowly, up to 3 cm in a thousand years.
Trees use their root system to draw minerals from the soil and use them to grow leaves, branches and trunks. The shed leaves, branches and wood are decomposed by animals to elements that become available to plants again. This constitutes the substance circulation in the forest.
One m2 of forest floor to the depth of 30 cm is inhabited by a trillion of bacteria, a billion of fungi, a million of algae, over a million of small animals, 100 beetles with larvae and 50 spiders, snails and shield bugs.
