Perhaps more intuitively, the height at which organic material begins to accumulate can also significantly impact the development of canopy soils.
Macro-organisms such as mites and maggots can consume organic material and break it down in their digestive tracts, aiding in the mixing and formation of soil.
Although they vary in depth, canopy soils commonly have a hemic layer at the very top, consisting mostly of undecomposed sphagnum moss.
[5] This under-representation of vascular epiphyte diversity is still being disputed, but likely pertains to a few abiotic factors including cooler temperatures, moisture availability, and glacial history.
During the Last Glacial Maximum,[7] about 27,000 years ago, much of the area now occupied by temperate rainforests in the northern hemisphere was covered by extensive ice sheets that removed all life.
This strongly favoured ecosystems in the southern hemisphere, and allowed many more species of obligate, vascular epiphytes to evolve and occupy a particular niche.
The presence of certain types of epiphytes could be considered ecosystem engineers, as they can form new canopy soils within an upper story in forest.
These form extensive mats that capture falling organic matter and accumulate it, promoting the formation of canopy soils.
These mats regulate the temperature and humidity of the surrounding canopy, and alter the species diversity of epiphytic growth, which should classify them as an ecosystem engineer.