Temperate deciduous forests, woodlands and shrub (0)

Temperate deciduous forests ,
woodlands and shrub
Tartu 2008
Location:
Temperate forests are typical of all European continent, the Eastern region of Asia (in special, Chinese and Japan ) and North America. Also are finded in tempered areas of South America.
Climate:
The average temperature in temperate forests is 50° F. Summers are mild , and average about 70° F, while winter temperatures are often well blow freezing. The average yearly precipitation is 30-60 inches. This precipitation falls throughout the year , but in the winter it falls as snow . There are four seasons in this biome , with warm summers and cold winters, often snowy. In autumn , the leaves change color and fall from the trees . The leaves decay on the forest floor , so the soil is very rich . Because of this, and because of the long growing season , many deciduous forests have been cut down for farming purposes.
Plants :
Trees of this biome include hardwoods such as maple, oak, hickory, and beech. There are often some evergreens, such as hemlock, spruce, and fir growing amongst them .
Decidous forests have usually 3-5 layers of plants;
Top layer , or canopy: tall deciduous trees.
Although the canopy is quite thick, it does allow sunlight to reach the forest floor, which encourages the other layers to grow .
The 2nd layer: saplings and shorter kinds of trees
The 3rd layer, or understorey: shrubs .
The 4th layer: forest herbs , such as wildflowers and berries . In spring , before the leaves develop on the deciduous trees, these herbs bloom and grow quickly while they are getting a lot of sunlight.
The 5th layer: mosses and lichens that grow on tree trunks.
Lianas such as wild grape , poison ivy, and Virginia creeper climb the trees to flower and fruit high in the forest canopy.
Plant adaptations:
The plants have adapted so that they can survive in this biome. The leaves of deciduous trees are broad and quite light . This gives the leaves a bigger surface to capture sunlight to help produce food for the plant. This is called photosynthesis. When the weather gets cold, broad leaves are not good for the plant, as they lose too much moisture and get damaged. So the trees cut off the water supply to the leaves and seal off the leaf stems where they join onto the tree trunks. The leaves are not able to produce the chlorophyll that makes them green . The leaves become yellow , red or gold before they dry up and fall off the trees.
Animals :
A wide variety of mammals , birds, insects , and reptiles can be found in the deciduous forest biome. Mammals that can be found include bears, raccoons, squirrels, skunks, wood mice, and deer. Animals like bobcats, elk, bison , mountain lions, timberwolves, and coyotes used to be found in the deciduous forests, but have been hunted down by humans and almost wiped out.
Melting snow in spring and rain during summer provide water for streams and ponds. Many water birds, insects, and fishes are found in this biome, along with amphibians such as frogs and salamanders, and reptiles such as lizards and small snakes. The platypus lives in the temperate forests of Australia .
Animal Adaptations:
The animals have developed different ways of surviving in this biome. Many of them migrate to warmer places to escape the cold winter months, while others hibernate ( sleep ) through the winter when food is scarce.
Some animals such as squirrels, chipmunks and jays store food when it is plentiful, using hollows of trees as storehouses for nuts and seeds. In winter this store of food keeps them fed. have adopted is food storage.
Soil:
Brown forest soils develop under the TBDF. Broadleaf trees tend to be nutrient -demanding and their leaves bind the major nutrient bases . Thus the litter under this forest is not as acidic as under needleleaf trees and aluminum and iron are not mobilized from the A horizon . The autumn leaf fall provides for an abundant and rich humus which begins to decay rapidly in spring just as the growing season begins.
Kasutatud kirjandus:
http://www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/biomeforest.ht m
http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/images/deciduous/deciduous_500.jpg
http://www.runet.edu/~swoodwar/CLASSES/GEOG235/biomes/tbdf/tbdf.html