Moisture in the air or humidity is available for plants. Dense plant communities (such as the casuarina forest) retain air moisture by inhibiting air movement and evaporation.

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The canopy level of a forest or woodland serves multiple purposes. It is an important habitat zone, provides protection from storm events, controls available light to lower storeys and dictates the local microclimatic conditions such as temperature and humidity.

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Herbivory is the act of eating plants. Herbivory is calculated at Longneck lagoon EEC by estimating the amount of damage to leaves. A healthy ecosystem has between 15% and 20% herbivory. Scores below or above can indicate an excess of or lack of insects, plants or predators.

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In a terrestrial ecosystem leaf litter provides nutrients to the ecosystem, helps retain moisture, provides homes for terrestrial animals and promotes bushfires for regeneration.

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Light is needed for photosynthesis. If the tree canopy is open (such as in the woodland around Longneck Lagoon) there is enough light to allow shrubs, grasses and an understorey of trees.

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The slope of the ground will affect drainage which will then affect soil moisture and depth of soil. Where the topography is flat conditions tend to be swampy. Alternatively, on steeper slopes the soil tends to be drier and shallower.

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pH refers to potential hydrogen and is a measure of how acid or alkaline a substance is. Soil acidity or alkalinity is important because it influences how easily plants can take up nutrients from the soil.

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Soil temperature plays an important role in many processes which take place in the soil such as chemical reactions and biological interactions. Germination and plant growth are affected by soil temperature.

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