With a patchy warm-temperate distribution, laurophyll forests are extensive in some regions, but more typically occupy topographic refugia in a matrix of drier, more fire-prone ecosystems. They have glossy- or leathery-leaved dense evergreen canopies, with moderate tree diversity. A mild climate, and more acid soils, distinguish them from oceanic cool temperate forests (T2.3). Primary productivity is high, but can be limited by mild summer drought. Decomposers such as invertebrates, fungi, and microbes on the forest floor are critical to nutrient cycling. Insects are the major consumers of primary production and a major food source for birds and bats, which can be important seed-dispersers and pollinators. Vertebrate herbivores are relatively uncommon.