When we think of soil, most of us think of dirt on the ground.
When we think of soil, most of us think of dirt on the ground. But a surprising amount of the planet’s soil thrives in the treetops of old-growth forests, high above terra firma.
This organic matter, composed of decaying leaves and branches, airborne particulates and moisture, is called canopy soil or arboreal soil. Its study is relatively new, says Utah State University ecologist Jessica Murray. She’s among researchers unraveling mysteries of the dense, mossy humus that provides rich habitat for insects, birds, fungi, worms and plants, as well as a generous reservoir for carbon storage.
Murray and colleagues from Texas A&M University, the University of Toronto Scarborough and Imperial College London published new information about the enigmatic resource in the July 27, 2023, online edition of Geoderma. The team’s research was supported by USU, the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
Read more at Utah State University
Image: Some 80 feet above ground, USU ecologist Jessica Murray studies soil canopies in tropical montane forests of Costa Rica. The doctoral candidate published findings in the journal 'Geoderma' and presents at the 2023 ESA meeting. (Photo credit: Mario Molina via Utah State University)
