Natural History

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Flora and Fauna associated with coffee has been largely a knowledge reserved for indigenous, or traditional and family growers of small-scale operations that has been known to harbor an equilibrium in the production processes from seed to market. Within the last several decades however, extensive research and analysis from multidisciplinary perspectives have given promise to the well-being of coffee species related to the local flora. Nitrogen enriching trees such as various fruit bearing tropical varieties like Guava, Banana, and other local species that also double in providing shading canopies for temperature regulation. Through the promotion of provider species in direct adjacency to coffee shrubs, the biodiversity of birds, insects, and mammals has the potential to increase and stabilize at greater rates than when compared to the recent trend of mono-crop, sun grown operations. Butterfly populations and occurrences in particular, through the monitoring of natural behaviors have been linked to the vitality of ecosystems, favoring forest canopy and flora apart of biologically diverse ecosystems and landscapes. This has risen awareness over the debate of butterflies being an indicator species for malpractice, toxicity, or shrinking wildlife habitat. By understanding the sensitive requirements of indicator species with the native landscape, the relationship coffee has with complimentary flora for the development of its own requirements can be seen when biodiversity among the area is removed for sun grown production. The promotion of Epiphytes in particular, also has unique relationship with the potency of coffee yields by providing nutrients to host species, and harboring habitats for bacteria, funghi, and other support plants. If these processes are found in a balance, so too will the chances of higher grade cup quality at lesser impacts.

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