When we hear of wildlife conservation and habitat management, I am sure most of us envision lush green forests & grasslands with their associated fauna ambling about. And this is often the case, these habitats are frequently found in nature and offer many great resources for many species to then settle into these areas. However there are often situations where lush greenery is not the desired habitat, even though it usually is very popular. I’m talking about bared earth, the soil substrates exposed. <\/p>\n
To be completely clear here, I’m not referring to locations that are devoid of vegetation, but to lands dominated by greenery yet disturbed by grazing, burrowing, fires, storms, landslides, and a host of other occurrences that will strip vegetation small & large to create furrows of bare earth. <\/p>\n
In the Natural world, if something has occurred naturally for a long enough period of time, a species will be drawn to the strange offering of alternate resources, and those that adapt best to take advantage of those specific resources will dominate them, outcompeting others. In many a case, this entails becoming a Specialist species, a creature who’s physical design is optimal only for this environment, outcompeting all others, whilst those who are more Generalist in their approach must hedge their bets and seek a wider array of resources to compensate. <\/p>\n
However, with Specialism comes a price – a high demand for their specialist environment. And in today’s topic, that demand is Bare Earth<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n As we discuss bare earth, the general impression I’m giving may be one of exposing soils, which is a mistake on my end. Instead bare ground can feature many natural substrates that exist, of which we can include sand, clay, gravel, chalk and even peat, so long as they occur within that habitat naturally. And to add to interest, you’ll attract different wildlife depending on which substrate you unearth, they’re all of value. But for those looking to get the biggest bang for their buck in terms of conservation, currently our acidic and\/or calcareous sands hold the title of being of greatest conservation value due to these habitats being front-runners in habitat loss. If you know what type of soil you have<\/a>, why not give it a go? <\/p>\n Regardless of the type of soil substrate that get exposed, the substrates do get exposed naturally in nature as a temporary feature. We often maintain our habitats to do without soil exposure however, yet we are able to do it ourselves by cutting back or uprooting vegetation that has grown over it. It’s often the case that scrub, shrubs and tree canopy leave a layer of semi-bare soil beneath them due to the lack of sunlight allowed through their dense leaf layers, making them good options for a quick cut back to reveal their bare or leaf littered soils below. <\/p>\n Don’t worry about a few leaves & detritus, it’s natural. The focus of baring ground is it’s importance as a habitat for our basking, burrowing, and hunting invertebrates, as well as it’s niche habitat for pioneering plants, those plants that colonise new soils before others can develop. The presence of surface detritus & local shrubs offers a sheltered microclimate and food resource, whilst the bared soils is perfect for both nesting and hunting. Even bee species will use this type of terrain. <\/p>\n
\nBare <\/em>with Me, I’ll Explain<\/h4>\n