Temperate rainforest ecology
Canopy, water, fungi, moss, soil, and wildlife in cool coastal forests
Temperate rainforest ecology describes the dense, wet forest systems that form where ocean air, mountain slopes, persistent rain, and mild temperatures support mossy trees, layered understory plants, rotting nurse logs, salmon-bearing streams, fungi, insects, birds, and mammals. This demo uses local nature photographs so Alto can convert real local image pixels into organic ASCII panels.
Forest structure
Temperate rainforests are often organized as stacked habitats. Large conifers and broadleaf trees form an upper canopy; young saplings, ferns, huckleberry, salal, and fallen trunks shape the understory; and the forest floor holds seed banks, decomposing wood, fungal threads, lichens, and sponge-like moss.
Water and nutrients
Rain, fog drip, snowmelt, and stream flow move nutrients through the system. Dead wood stores water and feeds decomposers, while rivers connect upland forests to estuaries and the sea. In many coastal regions, returning fish carry marine nutrients back into forest food webs.
Wildlife
Animals use the forest in different layers and seasons. Pollinators move between flowers, amphibians shelter in wet leaf litter, birds nest in snags and branches, and larger mammals follow berries, roots, fish, and travel corridors through the shade.
Gallery
The images below are stored with the demo. Toggle Alto off to see the local JPEGs directly, or leave it on to see the same files become dense colored Alto panels sized to their article slots and selected resolution.
