Groundcover

In agriculture, ground cover refers to anything that lies on top of the soil and protects it from erosion and inhibits weeds.

The term ground cover can also specifically refer to landscaping fabric, a breathable tarp that allows water and gas exchange.

In gardening jargon, however, the term groundcover refers to plants that are used in place of weeds and improves appearance by concealing bare earth.

The herbaceous layer is often overlooked in most ecological analyses because it is so common and contributes the smallest amount of the environment's overall biomass.

The herbaceous layer can constitute up to 4% of the overall net primary productivity (NPP) of an ecosystem, four times its average biomass.

An experiment conducted with the rhododendron maximum canopy in the southern Appalachian region concluded that 4–8% of total sunlight makes it to the herbaceous layer, whereas only about 1–2% reaches the ground.

These height differences make ideal environments for a variety of animals, such as the reed warbler, the harvest mouse and the wren.