Natural Processes
Natural processes shape the land, create soil and topsoil, influence the water supply, and help determine the plants and animals that live in each natural community. Some natural processes act on large scales and affect more than one natural community at a time.
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In This Community
Important natural processes in the Rich Cove / Mesic Slope Forest include these:
- soil formation
- canopy gaps
- microclimates (cooler, protected, good moisture) Ecobit: How Topography Creates Microclimates
- groundwater
In the Broader Landscape
The natural processes above are also important in some other natural communities. For example, in Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (NHP) two natural communities (see chart below) occur on moist, sheltered slopes whose concave shapes allow soil to accumulate.
These natural communities can be grouped into a larger unit that ecologists refer to as the Cove Forests Ecological System in Harpers Ferry NHP. An ecological system is a group of several natural communities that share some features of physical setting and many of the same natural processes.
By extension, they may also share many of the same plant and animal species. For example, these two natural communities both contain trees that thrive in sheltered spots with deep, moist soil, such as bitternut hickory, American basswood, white ash, and pawpaw.
Ecobit: Natural Processes Are Bigger Than Natural Communities