Activity C: Collecting Leaf Litter

Deciduous Trees lose their leaves in the Autumn. The trees take useful chemicals from their leaves and store them in their trunks. Trees then move their waste products into the leaves before they fall.

The dead leaves are gradually broken down by decomposer organisms, such as earthworms, fungi and bacteria. The very small pieces of decomposed leaves then become part of the humus layer in the soil.

Each science group should take a large sample of the smallest pieces of leaf litter in the forest. Do not take the large pieces (like the ones in the picture). Dig under these to find leaf litter from previous years which is more decomposed.

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©  Shirley Burchill 2007