The amount of water lost from a soil when it is dried to constant mass at 105 degree celicus, is expressed as the mass of water per unit mass of dry soil of the volume of water per unit bulk volume of soil (Sage Publicaation, 2014).
The major forest types in Europe, from the Boreal to the Mediterranean region, all include a variable number of native vascular plant species in the understorey layer (1.3 m height), both herbaceous and woody. In spite of its small stature and biomass this layer can contain 90% or more of the plant species of the forest. The functional role of the understory vegetation has already been shown in previous studies on temperate forests. They can serve as: