Temperate Deciduous Forest Biome

1. Temperate Deciduous Forest Biome Adam Tran

2. Introduction • Four seasons: winter, spring, summer and fall. • The climate is mild, with warm summers and cool winters. • 30 and 60 inches of precipitation a year. • Average annual temperature is 50°F. • Trees lose leaves during winter months.

3. Introduction • Located in Eurasia, northeastern United States, and Eastern Canada.

4. Introduction • Trees of a deciduous temperate forest lose their leaves every winter • Leaves change color during the fall

5. Introduction • Common animals include deer, bears, beavers, and raccoons. • Great Smoky Mountains National Park have 66 species of mammals, over 200 varieties of birds, 50 native fish species, and more than 80 types of reptiles and amphibians.

6. Introduction • Great Smoky Mountain National Park contains one of the largest blocks of old-growth temperate deciduous forest in North America • Between South Carolina and Tennessee • Part of the Appalachian Mountain chain

7. Common Organisms: Producers • White trillium (Trillium grandiflorum) • American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) White trillium common to the Great Smoky Mountains

8. Common Organisms: Producers • Carpet Moss (Mnium hornum) • Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata)

9. Common Organisms: Producers • Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) • Catawba rhododendron (Rhododendron catawbiense) Garlic Mustard is an invasive species of Smoky Mountains National Park The Catawba is a blooming shrub of Smoky Mountains National Park

10. Common Organisms: Primary Consumers • Elk (Cervus canadensis) • White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) Elk have recently been reintroduced to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

11. Common Organisms: Primary Consumers • Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) • Wooly Adelgid (Adelges tsugae)

12. Common Organisms: Secondary Comsumers • Barred Owl (Strix varia) • Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)

13. Common Organisms: Tertiary Consumers • Black Bear (Ursus americanus) • Cougar (Puma concolor) Black Bear are found in the Smoky Mountains

14. Food Web

15. Predator-Prey Relationships • As the population of prey increases, the population of predators also increases • When the population of predators becomes too high, the number of prey decreases

16. Predator-Prey Relationships • The Great Horned Owl eats small mammals such as rats, squirrels, skunks, and weasels

17. Role of Predation in Population Control • Because the population of predators increases with the population of prey, the population of prey will never exceed a certain amount • When the population of prey is reduced by the presence of excess predators, predator’s food sources are reduced and the population decreases

18. Role of Predation in Population Control • The Great Horned Owl will reduce the number of rodents in an ecosystem, and the reduced number of rodent will decrease the number of owls • In an excess of prey, black bears will have more food, but when predation leads to the reduction of prey, black bear population will decrease

19. Energy Pyramid

20. Indiana Bat • The Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) has been listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service • The 2005 population estimate was about 457,000 Indiana bats • Half as many were listed as endangered in 1967 • In New York, the population of Indiana bats is increasing

21. Indiana Bat: Reasons for Decline • A single cave can have 20,000 to 50,000 bats, so a single disturbance can have great consequences • Commercialization of caves (touring) can disturb populations • Gating caves disallows access for bats • Deforestation causes bats to lose foraging sites • Insecticides reduce insect populations, which are food for bats

22. Human Impact: Non-native Species • Hemlock Woolly Adelgids are insects that pose a threat the Hemlock populations • Likely to kill most of the Great Smoky Mountains Hemlock population • Hemlock are critical to the survival of trout and other water species • Balsam Woolly Adelgids are insects that kill Fraser firs • The Fraser fir is now listed as a Federal Species of Concern

23. Human Impact: Non-native Species • Rainbow trout and brown trout act as competition for the native brook trout • Non-native species are larger and more aggressive Rainbow Trout

24. Human Impact: Disease • Diseases such as the chestnut blight and Dutch elm disease were introduced by humans • The chestnut blight has infected nearly every American Chestnut • Extinction is averted because the blight does not affect young chestnuts • International timber trade increases the risk of transmitting disease causing organisms • Pests can travel to new regions where predators don’t control their population

25. Human Impact: Deforestation • Logging is not so much of a problem for deciduous forests • In order to reduce forests, demand has to exceed rate of regeneration, which is rare • Area of forests involved in logging is much less than area involved in clearing for other uses • Land that is converted to another use, such as for farming or development, will likely never regrow • Today, Agricultural surpluses allow farmland to be converted back into forests

26. Human Impact: Acid Rain

27. Predictions for the Future: Migrating Forests • As warming occurs, forests of North America and Europe will move northwards • During the last ice age, forests migrated quickly • Farmland will pose as an obstacle for migrating forests • Land must be put aside for migrating forests, or species will become extinct

28. Predictions for the Future: Migrating Forests • As warming occurs, forests of North America and Europe will move northwards • During the last ice age, forests migrated quickly • Farmland will pose as an obstacle for migrating forests • Land must be put aside for migrating forests, or species will become extinct

29. FAQs • What are some common ways organisms adapt to the changing seasons? • Trees and other deciduous plants lose their leaves during the winter to conserve energy. Animals have altered behavioral patterns, such as migration, and hibernation. Other animals have physiological changes, such as change in coloring.

30. FAQs • What are some common threats to the temperate deciduous forest biome? • Some of the major threats to the biome include human development and agriculture. Logging poses a threat to hardwood populations. Acid rain from burning coal, as well as global warming, have a negative impact on the biome.

31. FAQs • What are some endangered species of the temperate deciduous forest? Why are they endangered? • Some examples include the Indiana bat, Carolina northern flying squirrel, Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Spruce-fir moss spider, Gray wolf and many others. Factors that threaten such species include loss of habitat, introduction of invasive species, and loss of food sources. The Indiana Bat is of particular concern for the Smokey Mountains National Park.

32. For more information: http://www.nps.gov/grsm/ http://greatsmokymountains.areaparks.com/ The Great Smoky Mountains Visit [Photo Credits included as comments]