Leaf litter habitat fact sheet | Field of Mars EEC

What are leaf litter habitats?

Leaf litter habitats are the layers of fallen leaves, bark, twigs, flowers, fruits and other dead plant material that collect on the ground in bushland, forests, gardens and school grounds. They are habitats because they provide places where living things can feed, hide, breed, grow and avoid drying out.

At Field of Mars Reserve and in other Sydney bushland, leaf litter builds up beneath trees, shrubs and ground cover plants. It sits on top of the soil and changes as fungi, bacteria, worms, insects and other decomposers break it down.

Leaf litter is not rubbish. It protects the soil, holds moisture and helps recycle nutrients back to plants.

Leaf litter habitats are made from fallen leaves, bark, twigs and other dead plant material.

Leaf litter forms layers as fresh leaves break down into humus.

Where are leaf litter habitats found?

Leaf litter habitats are found wherever leaves, bark and twigs collect on the ground. In Sydney bushland, they are common beneath eucalypt trees, shrubs and ground cover plants, along track edges, beside logs and rocks, and in shaded areas where plant material can build up.

Students may observe leaf litter habitats in Field of Mars Reserve, Lane Cove National Park, school grounds and gardens. They should be observed carefully without raking, digging, collecting animals or disturbing shelters.

Leaf litter collects on the ground beneath trees and shrubs.

What living and non-living features make up leaf litter habitats?

The living features of leaf litter habitats include fungi, bacteria, plant roots, worms, insects, spiders, centipedes, millipedes, mites, slaters, snails, reptiles and other small animals. Many are decomposers that break down dead plant material, while others are predators that hunt in the leaf litter.

The non-living and once-living features include dry leaves, bark, twigs, soil, air spaces, moisture, shade, sunlight and temperature. Together, these living and non-living features create many tiny microhabitats where small organisms can survive.

A small spider burrow can be hidden among leaf litter, bark and twigs.

What plants and animals live in leaf litter habitats?

Leaf litter habitats form beneath living plants such as eucalypts, wattles, banksias, shrubs, grasses and ferns. These plants drop leaves, bark, flowers, seeds and twigs that become food and shelter for fungi, bacteria and small animals.

Animals that live in or move through leaf litter habitats include ants, beetles, springtails, bush cockroaches, worms, millipedes, centipedes, spiders, skinks, dragons, frogs and echidnas. Leaf litter animals may be very small, well camouflaged or active mostly at night, so students often notice signs such as burrows, tunnels, tracks, chewed leaves or moving leaves before they see the animals clearly.

Jacky dragons can blend into dry leaf litter while hunting small invertebrates.

How do animals use leaf litter habitats for food, shelter and breeding?

Many animals use leaf litter because it provides food and shelter close to the ground. Worms, termites, millipedes and bush cockroaches feed on dead plant material or the fungi and microbes growing on it. Predators such as centipedes, spiders, beetles, skinks and dragons hunt smaller animals among the leaves.

Leaf litter also helps animals hide from predators, avoid drying out and find cooler, moister spaces during hot weather. Some spiders build burrows in leaf litter and soil, while insects and other invertebrates may lay eggs or spend part of their life cycle in damp spaces under leaves.

Echidnas search through leaf litter and soil for ants, termites and other small invertebrates.

How do leaf litter habitats change over time?

Leaf litter habitats are always changing. Fresh leaves, flowers, bark and twigs fall from plants and add new material to the top layer. Older material becomes softer and darker as fungi, bacteria and small animals break it into smaller pieces.

Over time, decomposed leaf litter becomes humus, a dark organic layer that mixes with soil. Rain, shade, temperature, plant type and animal activity all affect how quickly leaf litter breaks down.

Centipedes hunt through damp leaf litter, soil and rotting wood.

Why are leaf litter habitats important?

Leaf litter habitats support biodiversity by providing food, shelter and breeding places for many small animals. They are especially important for invertebrates, which become food for larger animals such as frogs, reptiles, birds and mammals.

Leaf litter also helps keep bushland healthy. It slows water movement, protects soil from erosion, reduces drying, supports decomposers and helps recycle nutrients that plants need for growth.

Many invertebrates use leaf litter for shelter or food.

How can you help protect leaf litter habitats?

You can help protect leaf litter habitats by staying on tracks, leaving leaves, bark, sticks, rocks and logs in place, and observing animals without touching or collecting them. Take photos, make sketches or record observations instead of removing living things from their habitat.

In gardens and school grounds, leaf litter can be protected by keeping some natural areas under trees and shrubs. Removing rubbish, keeping waterways clean, avoiding trampling small plants, keeping cats contained and keeping dogs on leads where required also helps protect animals that depend on leaf litter habitats.

Leaving leaf litter in place helps protect soil and small animals.

Related fact sheets

More habitat fact sheets

• Habitat fact sheet – Learn how different habitats provide food, shelter and breeding places for living things.
• Tree habitats fact sheet – Explore canopy, bark, branch and hollow habitats above the leaf litter layer.
• Shrub habitats fact sheet – Learn how shrubs provide shelter, flowers, seeds and leaves that can add to leaf litter.
• Ground cover habitats fact sheet – Explore low plants and grasses that grow beside leaf litter habitats.
• Rock and log habitats fact sheet – Discover cool, moist shelters often found beside leaf litter.
• Water habitats fact sheet – Learn about ponds, creeks and wet areas where leaf litter can collect near water.

Field of Mars Reserve and local environments

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

Plants that form leaf litter habitats

• Sydney red gum fact sheet – Learn about a local eucalypt that drops leaves, bark and twigs into bushland habitats.
• Sydney peppermint fact sheet – Explore another eucalypt whose leaves and bark help form forest litter.
• Scribbly gum fact sheet – Learn about a sandstone eucalypt found in dry Sydney bushland.

Animals that use leaf litter habitats

• Invertebrate fact sheets – Explore animals without backbones, including many species that live in soil, leaf litter and rotting wood.
• Wolf spider fact sheet – Learn about a ground-hunting spider that lives in leaf litter or burrows.
• Centipede fact sheet – Discover a fast predator that hunts small animals in damp sheltered places.
• Earthworm fact sheet – Learn how worms move through soil and help recycle dead plant material.
• Millipede fact sheet – Explore a decomposer that feeds on dead leaves, fungi and rotting plant material.
• Bush cockroach fact sheet – Learn about a native cockroach that helps break down plant material.
• Short-beaked echidna fact sheet – Discover a native mammal that searches for ants and termites in soil, logs and leaf litter.
• Red-crowned toadlet fact sheet – Learn about a small frog that uses damp sandstone forest, leaf litter and rock crevices.

Food webs and ecological relationships

• Termite fact sheet – Learn about insects that help recycle dead plant material.
• Ant fact sheet – Explore social insects that forage, nest and move through many bushland habitats.
• Common rough slater fact sheet – Learn about a damp leaf litter animal that helps recycle plant material.
• Blue planarian flatworm fact sheet – Discover a soft-bodied predator that can live in damp, shady leaf litter.

Learn with us