3 ms·

Think about it this way — the sun is the prime energy input to a biome. - In a temperate forest, basically nothing eats canopy foliage. Maybe they did when we

Think about it this way — the sun is the prime energy input to a biome. - In a temperate forest, basically nothing eats canopy foliage. Maybe they did when we had mastodons and forest elephants, but we don't now. Trees grow, die, and get eaten by fungus. - In grasslands, nearly 100% of the photosynthesized energy is available to megafauna. Deer simply can't eat the bark of adult trees, or get to the leaves. Yes, some trees drop a lot of nuts, but it's nothing compared to what a prarie can support (aka, millions of bison).

munch117 3y ago
You are making a compelling argument that grassland has a richer diversity of grazers. But surely the diversity of fauna is richer in the forest.
- justrealist 3y ago
  It's just not. I recommend you research deeper here. Fauna is richest only near the edges of the forest or near rivers. In a deep closed-canopy temperate forest, there's just really not that much going on.
aziaziazi 3y ago
That’s fine because bisons aren’t considered good pollinators. Forests canopy is a very, very living biome for pollinators however. You’ll find birds, insects (and small mammals) in droves over the canopy but no “megafauna” indeed. Francis Hallé work on forests, canopies and trees architecture is fascinating and insightful. He’s one of the creator of the “radeau des cimes”, an aerostat designed to study the canopy. Bonus point: forest tends to retain water much better than grassland and therefore are less prone to drought.
- greenie_beans 3y ago
  > forest tends to retain water much better than grassland and therefore are less prone to drought. you're gonna have to cite this claim
  - aziaziazi 3y ago
    Well, first result on my search engine links to an UN specialized agency (FAO) document. > Forests perform important buffering functions, such as cooling effects, the interception of precipitation, and water infiltration and retention. https://www.fao.org/sustainable-forest-management/toolbox/modules/forest-and-water/basic-knowledge/en/?type=111 https://www.fao.org/sustainable-forest-management/toolbox/mo...

munch117 3y ago

You are making a compelling argument that grassland has a richer diversity of grazers. But surely the diversity of fauna is richer in the forest.

justrealist 3y ago
It's just not. I recommend you research deeper here. Fauna is richest only near the edges of the forest or near rivers. In a deep closed-canopy temperate forest, there's just really not that much going on.

aziaziazi 3y ago

That’s fine because bisons aren’t considered good pollinators. Forests canopy is a very, very living biome for pollinators however. You’ll find birds, insects (and small mammals) in droves over the canopy but no “megafauna” indeed. Francis Hallé work on forests, canopies and trees architecture is fascinating and insightful. He’s one of the creator of the “radeau des cimes”, an aerostat designed to study the canopy. Bonus point: forest tends to retain water much better than grassland and therefore are less prone to drought.

greenie_beans 3y ago
> forest tends to retain water much better than grassland and therefore are less prone to drought. you're gonna have to cite this claim
- aziaziazi 3y ago
  Well, first result on my search engine links to an UN specialized agency (FAO) document. > Forests perform important buffering functions, such as cooling effects, the interception of precipitation, and water infiltration and retention. https://www.fao.org/sustainable-forest-management/toolbox/modules/forest-and-water/basic-knowledge/en/?type=111 https://www.fao.org/sustainable-forest-management/toolbox/mo...