Soil Profile and Sucession
The rain forest's floor is littered with organic matter in the form of leaves, branches, vines and other foliar detritus. Much like mulch and compost in temperate gardens, this organic matter sustains plants. Although this rapidly degrading matter provides nutrients to the plants growing above it, the actual topsoil is thin. High humidity, heat and sunlight contribute to effective nutrient cycling. Organic input matches nutrient output, making loamy, fertile soil unnecessary for substantial tropical plant growth. Secondary succession is an ecological process that changes the biotic community structure over time towards a more stable, diverse community structure after an initial disturbance to the community. The initial disturbance is often a natural phenomenon or human caused. Natural disturbances include hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, river movements or an event as small as a fallen tree that creates gaps in the forest. In tropical rainforests, these same natural disturbances have been well documented in the fossil record. Primary succession is the colonization of living things that was not previously colonized by living things and secondary succession is the regeneration of the living community after a major disturbance.
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