leaf litter

Here, slender salamanders slink through the leaf litter under robust stands of Santa Cruz Island buckwheat and California fuchsia.

Here, slender salamanders slink through the leaf litter under robust stands of Santa Cruz Island buckwheat and California fuchsia.

Rivers impacted by urbanization and agriculture are changing how quickly leaf litter decomposes.

Noise is equally harmful to animals, particularly birds; after all, an owl who can’t discern the crunch of a rodent’s feet in the leaf litter won’t survive long.

In particular, Mathews found that peasant women, who historically collected leaf litter in the forests, and shepherds, who grazed their flocks and conducted occasional managed burns, were critical in maintaining fire-resistant landscapes.