Editing Cloud forest (section)

== Characteristics ==
[[File:Forest Enchantment.jpg|thumb|Bryophyte-covered mossy forest at [[Mount Dulang-dulang]], [[Philippines]]]]
[[File:Papillaria Cloudforest-Mt Budawang.jpg|thumb|Hanging moss in a cool temperate rainforest at [[Budawang National Park]], [[Australia]]]]
In comparison with lower-altitude tropical moist forests, cloud forests show a reduced tree stature combined with increased stem density and generally, a lower diversity of woody plants.{{sfn|Häger|2006|p={{pn|date=December 2017}}}}{{sfn|Hamilton|Juvik|Scatena|1995}} Trees in these regions are generally shorter and more heavily stemmed than in lower-altitude forests in the same regions, often with gnarled trunks and branches, forming dense, compact crowns. Their leaves become smaller, thicker and harder with increasing altitude.<ref>{{harvnb|Bruijnzeel|Proctor|1995}} quote from {{harvnb|Hamilton|Juvik|Scatena|1995}}</ref> The high moisture promotes the development of a high [[biomass]] and [[biodiversity]] of [[epiphyte]], particularly [[bryophyte]]s, [[lichen]]s, [[fern]]s (including [[filmy ferns]]), [[bromeliads]] and [[orchid]]s.{{sfn|Häger|2006|p={{pn|date=December 2017}}}}{{sfn|Hamilton|Juvik|Scatena|1995}} The number of [[Endemism|endemic]] plants can be very high.{{sfn|Häger|2006|p={{pn|date=December 2017}}}}

An important feature of cloud forests is the tree crowns that intercept the wind-driven cloud moisture, part of which drips to the ground. This [[fog drip]] occurs when water droplets from the fog adhere to the needles or leaves of trees or other objects, coalesce into larger drops and then drop to the ground.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fog drip – AMS Glossary |publisher=[[American Meteorological Society]] |url=http://glossary.ametsoc.org/wiki/Fog_drip |access-date=2014-12-15 }}</ref> It can be an important contribution to the [[hydrologic cycle]].{{sfn|Hamilton|Juvik|Scatena|1995}}

Cloud forests are often [[peatland]]s, showcasing many classic peatland attributes. Due to the high water content of the soil, the reduced [[solar radiation]] and the low rates of [[decomposition]] and [[mineralization (soil)|mineralization]], the [[soil acidity]] is very high,{{sfn|Hamilton|Juvik|Scatena|1995}}{{sfn|van Steenis|1972|p={{pn|date=December 2017}}}}{{sfn|Grubb|Tanner|1976}} with more humus and [[peat]] often forming the upper soil layer.{{sfn|Hamilton|Juvik|Scatena|1995}}

Stadtmüller (1987) distinguishes two general types of tropical montane cloud forests:
* Areas with a high annual precipitation due to a frequent cloud cover in combination with heavy and sometimes persistent orographic rainfall; such forests have a perceptible canopy strata, a high number of epiphytes, and a thick peat layer which has a high storage capacity for water and controls the runoff;
* In drier areas with mainly seasonal rainfall, cloud stripping can amount to a large proportion of the moisture available to plants.