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Mears Bush
Understanding Mears Bush
Leaf Litter
What's an Ecosystem?
Leaf litter is everywhere.
Leaf litter is dead plant material and it is almost everywhere. It comes from every plant, shrub, and tree. There are many types of leaf litter. They all last different amounts of time. It depends on which tree it's coming from. Removing leaf litter could be detrimental to the habitat. Birds, squirrels and more use the litter to make nests and to store food.
All of the plants in each layer make work together
Common name: Ecosystem
Maori name: Taiao ( living things)
An ecosystem is every living organism and how they all work together to keep their environment sustainable. The native animals, trees, fungi and plants all do their part to live off each other in harmony. For example threes need the soil to live, plants need the shade from the trees and animals need the plants to eat. They all need each other.
It can make walking slippery.
It takes around 6 months for leaf litter to decompose. When it decomposes it physically breaks apart. Leaf litter is a key component to a healthy wildlife. It sits on top of a fermenting layer of soil keeping it moist. This is important for seedlings to grow .
Staying on the track will help the ecosystem.
There are eight different types of ecosystems. Terrestrial, forest, grasslands, desert, tundra, aquatic, freshwater and marine.
​Mears Bush is set in a forest. New Zealand forest ecosystems are critically at risk due to global warming, fuel emissions and deforestation. If one native species becomes extinct it puts the whole ecosystem out of balance.
When you visit Mears Bush please remember to take your litter home as it is not part of the ecosystem and will put the natural ecosystem at risk.
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