Candidatura Reserva da Biosfera - Santana Madeira Biosfera

12.1.2. Important Natural Processes
The area of the Central Mountainous Massif, because of its soil, climate and
orographic characteristics, is a highly dynamic area, where soils are thin and poor
organic fraction, growing solely small herbaceous plants, mosses and lichens in most
exposed areas. The high slope of the mountains, often vertically suspended by basalt and
trachyte dikes, which leads to a higher expression of the weathering phenomenon in their
morphology, causing frequent lithological material landslides. These erosive processes
form deposits exposed to sunlight, which are extremely important in the ecological
succession of the vegetation series of which depend on some endemic species.
Groundwater is the main source of water supply on the island of Madeira. The
importance of the mountainous areas of the island have in the recharge of aquifers, due
not only to the geology and topography of these areas and the high levels of precipitation
exceeding 2000 mm / year, but also, to the existence of plants present in these natural
habitats, which play an important role in the uptake of water from fog through the
condensation of water on the leaf surface. The water captured in the mountains, that is
responsible for the existence of numerous water courses, generates conditions for the
existence of edapho-hygrophilous vegetation in the bottom of the valleys, but also in the
walls of inner cliffs, which by the extrusion of mountains infiltrated water, creates
conditions for the development of several characteristics species of these biotopes and
surrounding areas.
In areas where the laurel forest is in climax or near climax state, the high density
of trees with large canopies, leads to a simplification of the plant communities, by the
loss of lower strata as a result of sunlight absence. The opening of clearings in the forest
either as a result of old trees collapse or large rock detachment from adjacent cliffs,
creates conditions for the germination of seeds of herbaceous plants, which when
complete their life cycles, deposit new seeds in the soil, safeguarding the natural seeds
bank. During this process, these plants will naturally be succeeded by shrub and tree
species that by spatial and temporal ecological adjustment of each species’ life cycles,
results in balance of biota over time. This process is one of the most important in the
sustainability of the balance of the various organizational levels of vegetation
90 Application of Santana, Madeira to Biosphere Reserve – UNESCO - MAB