Ground cover habitat fact sheet | Field of Mars EEC

What are ground cover habitats?

Ground cover habitats are low plant layers that grow close to the soil surface. They can include native grasses, lilies, mat rush, vines, orchids, ferns and other small plants that spread across or rise from the ground.

These habitats matter because they provide places for living things to feed, shelter, hide, breed and move safely. Ground cover plants can also help hold soil in place, reduce erosion and keep the ground cooler and moister.

At Field of Mars Reserve and in nearby Sydney bushland, ground cover habitats are part of the lower layer of eucalypt forest. They sit below shrubs and trees and often connect with leaf litter, logs, rocks and soil to create small microhabitats for insects, spiders, lizards, frogs, birds and small mammals.

Lomandra, also called mat rush, can form dense ground cover that shelters small animals.

Native grasses form a low ground cover layer in eucalypt forest.

Where are ground cover habitats found?

Ground cover habitats are found wherever low plants grow close to the ground. In Sydney bushland, they may grow beneath trees and shrubs, along track edges, beside logs and rocks, near creeks, in sunny forest openings or in shaded understorey areas.

Students may also observe ground cover habitats in school grounds and gardens where native grasses, lomandra, dianella, ferns or other low plants have been planted. These places should be observed carefully without trampling plants, disturbing animals or collecting living things.

Ground cover habitats can grow among fallen branches, leaf litter and open patches of soil.

What living and non-living features make up ground cover habitats?

The living features of ground cover habitats include low plants, roots, flowers, seeds, berries, fungi, microbes, insects, spiders, worms, snails, frogs, reptiles, birds and small mammals. Some living things are easy to see, while others hide among stems, leaves, soil and leaf litter.

The non-living features include soil, water, rocks, sunlight, shade, temperature, moisture and air spaces between stems and leaves. Together, these living and non-living features create small sheltered spaces where organisms can feed, grow, hide and reproduce.

Blue flax lily berries can provide food for birds and other animals.

What plants and animals live in ground cover habitats?

Ground cover habitats can include plants such as lomandra, blue flax lily, kangaroo grass, bracken fern, native violets, sedges, vines and small orchids. These plants may provide seeds, berries, nectar, shade, nesting material and shelter.

Animals that live in or move through ground cover habitats include ants, beetles, spiders, grasshoppers, skinks, blue-tongued lizards, frogs, bandicoots and small birds such as red-browed finches. Fungi and decomposers also live in the damp spaces beneath plants and help recycle dead leaves and stems.

Blue-tongued lizards can shelter beneath dense ground cover plants and leaf litter.

How do animals use ground cover habitats for food, shelter and breeding?

Many animals use ground cover habitats because they provide protection close to the ground. Dense leaves and stems help small animals hide from predators, stay cooler on hot days and move between feeding places without being easily seen.

Ground cover plants can also provide food and breeding resources. Birds may eat grass seeds or berries, insects may feed on leaves, nectar or plant sap, spiders may attach webs to stems, and reptiles may shelter beneath plants before moving out to bask, hunt or forage.

Swamp wallabies can feed and shelter among grasses and low ground cover plants.

How do ground cover habitats change over time?

Ground cover habitats change with seasons, rainfall, light and disturbance. Plants may grow quickly after rain, flower and produce seeds, then die back or become drier during hot weather. Some ground cover plants resprout after fire or disturbance, while others germinate from seeds stored in the soil.

As ground cover plants age, their dead leaves and stems fall to the ground and become part of the leaf litter. This material helps feed fungi, bacteria and invertebrates, returning nutrients to the soil and helping new plants grow.

Flannel flowers can grow quickly after bushfire, adding fresh ground cover and seeds for wildlife.

Why are ground cover habitats important?

Ground cover habitats are important because they increase habitat diversity close to the soil. They provide shelter, food and breeding places for many small animals that might not survive in open, exposed areas.

They also help support food webs. Plants are producers that make food using sunlight, water, air and nutrients. Herbivores and seed-eating animals feed on plants, predators feed on smaller animals, and decomposers break down dead plant material. Ground cover plants also help protect soil from erosion and keep the ground cooler and moister.

Flowering ground cover plants provide food and shelter for insects and other small animals.

How can you help protect ground cover habitats?

You can help protect ground cover habitats by staying on tracks, walking carefully in bushland and avoiding trampling small plants. Leave flowers, seeds, grasses, bark, leaf litter, rocks and fallen branches in place because they provide food and shelter for living things.

Observe animals without handling them, and take photos or drawings instead of collecting plants or insects. In gardens and school grounds, planting local native ground cover plants can help create habitat for small animals. Keeping cats contained, dogs on leads where allowed, and rubbish out of bushland also helps protect animals that depend on low vegetation.

Staying on tracks helps protect ground cover plants and the animals that live among them.

Related fact sheets

More habitat fact sheets

• Habitat fact sheet – Learn how different habitat features support living things.
• Tree habitats fact sheet – Explore canopy, bark, hollow and branch habitats above the ground cover layer.
• Shrub habitats fact sheet – Learn how shrubs provide food, shelter and movement pathways.
• Leaf litter habitats fact sheet – Explore the decomposing leaves and twigs that collect beneath ground cover plants.
• Rock and log habitats fact sheet – Discover shelters that often sit among or beside ground cover plants.
• Water habitats fact sheet – Learn about ponds, creeks and wetlands where sedges and other ground cover plants may grow.

Field of Mars Reserve and local environments

• Field of Mars Reserve fact sheet – Learn about the local reserve where ground cover habitats support native wildlife.
• Eucalypt forest fact sheet – Explore the forest environment where trees, shrubs, ground cover and leaf litter provide many habitats.

Plants that form habitats

• Plant fact sheets – Explore native plants that provide food, shelter and habitat for animals.
• Bracken fern fact sheet – Learn about a fern that grows as sheltered ground cover in forest understorey.
• Grass tree fact sheet – Explore an understorey plant that provides nectar, seeds and shelter for animals.

Animals that use this habitat

• Red-browed finch fact sheet – Learn about a small seed-eating bird that uses grasses and shrubs for food and shelter.
• Eastern blue-tongued lizard fact sheet – Explore a reptile that shelters among low vegetation, logs and leaf litter.
• Long-nosed bandicoot fact sheet – Discover a ground-dwelling mammal that forages through soil, grass and leaf litter.
• Swamp wallaby fact sheet – Learn about a marsupial that shelters and feeds in dense bushland vegetation.

Food webs and ecological relationships

• Invertebrate fact sheets – Explore small animals that live, feed, hunt and decompose in ground layer habitats.

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Book now

Book a bushland, habitat or ecosystem program where students investigate grasses, ferns, low plants, shelter, soil protection and small animal habitats.

Learning programs

Explore Field of Mars EEC programs that support learning about ground cover habitats, plant structure, biodiversity, food webs and habitat protection.

Learning resources

Use the ground cover habitats fact sheet to support classroom learning about grasses, ferns, herbs, vines, hiding places, seeds and shelter.

Flora and fauna fact sheets

Explore related fact sheets about native plants, invertebrates, reptiles, mammals, leaf litter habitats, eucalypt forests and grassland ecosystems.

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