Deciduous Forest

What is a deciduous forest?

• Deciduous means “falling off or at a certain season”

• Leaves fall off of trees in the winter

The Five Zones

1. The Tree Stratum

2. Small Tree and Sapling

3. Shrub

4. Herb

5. Ground

Where Are They?

Eastern North America

Middle EuropeSome parts of Asia

ChileEastern Coast of Paraguay

New ZealandSoutheastern Australia

Climate

• The Deciduous Forest has a Moist Continental Climate

• 4 seasons

• Generally mild (summer: 70 degrees, winter: 32 degrees)

• Rainfall - 14 inches during winter and 18 inches during summer

• Oceans cause climate

Soil

• Fertile

• Great agriculture regions are found here

• Most deciduous forests found in North America are second growth forests

Threats

• Air pollutants from burning fuels kill wildlife and poison the soil

• Humans interfere with the cycles of natural forest fires

Threats Continued

• Acid rain damages leaves and causes production of smaller fruit and less seeds used in reproduction.

• Global Warming is steadily increasing temperatures which causes less precipitation. This leads to less growth in the forests.

More Threats

• Clearing land for agriculture and logging

• Human occupation

• Introduction of non-native plants and animal species cause competition for food and habitats which results in the endangerment of native species

• Mining causes forest not to re-grow on damaged and depleted soils

Animal Adaptations

• The Downy Woodpecker has adapted to live in the deciduous forest.

• Reinforced head and sharp beak • Barbed tongue• Ability to eat insects and berries outside of tree

Plant Adaptations

• Flowering plants have adapted to living in the deciduous forest

• Pollen for insufficient water supply

• Showy flowers aid in capturing of pollen

Links of Interest

• http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/tempded.htm

• http://inchinapinch.com/hab_pgs/terres/d_forest/td_forest.htm

• http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/deciduous_forest.htm