The Deciduous Forest

1. The Deciduous Forest By: Kelli Ferguson Leah Holleman Jessica Corn

2. Location, Location, Location! • Found in eastern half of North America, middle of Europe, Asia, and South America. • Located in the temperate zone above tropical forests and below coniferous forests. • Deciduous means “falling off or out at a certain season.” Thus, leaves fall off the trees when winter comes.

3. Five Zones • Tree Stratum Zone: Contains trees such as oak, beech, maple, chestnut, hickory and elm. Height varies from 60ft.-100ft. • Small Tree and Sapling Zone: Young, short trees • Shrub Zone: Rhododendrons, azaleas, huckleberries • Herb Zone: Short, herbal plants • Ground Zone: Lichens, mosses

4. Climate • Average annual temperature= 50 F • Average rain fall= 30-60 inches per year • Four seasons: • Spring: warm and breezy • Summer: hot and humid, begins early June and ends in late August, avg. temp 70, about 18 in. of rain • Autumn: cool and breezy, leaves change color • Winter: cold and frosty, trees lose leaves, avg. temp below freezing, about 14 in. of rain Most are located by an ocean . The ocean and wind affect temp. and climate change

5. Biomass and Productivity • Contain many tree species within a small area • Biomass is relatively high compared to other vegetation communities • Most biomass occurs below ground in the root systems and as partially decomposed plant detritus • Fertile soil has led to the clearing of the forests for agricultural use -Almost all the forests in North America are second growth forests. Due to some soil or sediment still present, vegetation can germinate and plants can re-grow after a major disturbance.

6. Animals • Nut and acorn feeders • Omnivores • Deer, gray squirrels, mice, raccoons, salamanders, snakes, robins, frogs, mosquitoes

7. Animal Adaptations • Adapt by hibernating in the winter and living off the land in the other 3 seasons. • Have adapted to the land by trying the plants in the forest to see if they are good to eat for a sufficient supply of food. • Use the trees for shelter, food, and water sources. • Many animals are camouflaged to look like the ground.

8. More Animal Adaptations… • White-tailed deer: -Eats green plants in the summer; nuts, acorns, and twigs in the winter -Form herds to keep warm in the winter -Protective coloring allows it to hide in the undergrowth -Makes snorting sounds and stamps hooves to alert other deer of danger -Raises its tail so other deer have a guide to follow away from danger -Over time, the deer has developed good eyesight and hearing to avoid predators, including humans

9. Plants • Broad-leaf deciduous trees which turn colors of red and gold in the fall and lose their leaves in the winter -oak, hickory, maple, poplar, and sycamore • Evergreen trees

10. More Plant Info… • Layers of plants depend upon climate, soil, and age of forest 1. Forest canopy: tallest trees (tree stratum zone) 2. Understory: Trees are more shade tolerant (small tree zone) 3. Shrub layer (shrub zone) 4. Herb layer: Carpet the forest floor; made up of wildflowers, mosses, and ferns (herb zone) 5. Ground: Fallen leaves, twigs, and dried up plants which decompose and add nutrients to the topsoil (ground zone)

11. Plant Adaptations • Lean toward the sun in order to undergo the process of photosynthesis -The penetration of more sunlight supports a richer diversity of plant life at the ground level • Soak up nutrients in the ground which animals consume • The low rate of decomposition allows the accumulation of a thick layer of slowly decaying leaf litter to provide nutrients

12. More Plant Adaptations… • Wildflowers: grow on the forest floor early in the spring before trees “leaf-out” and shade the floor • Deciduous Trees: Thin, broad, light-weight leaves that capture a lot of sunlight to make food for the tree in warm weather -Cold weather: Leaves lose too much water and can be weighed down by snow, so they fall in the winter to prevent the tree from dying. • Most trees have thick barks to protect against cold winters

13. Threats to the Biome • Lost land to farms and towns, destroying habitats of animals • Poachers hunt the animals • Acid rain caused by industrial and vehicular emissions • Spread of invasive species that compete for space and food • Cleared and replaced with tree plantations consisting of single tree species -Harvested as Christmas trees, timber, or wood converted into the paper we use today. • Mining damages the land to the extent that forests can’t re-grow on the depleted soils

14. Here’s A Short Video… • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q064mImplTQ

15. The Coastal Zone

16. What is the Coastal Zone? • Warm, shallow water that extends from the high-tide mark on land to the continental shelf (submerged part of continents) • Contains 90% of all marine species • Ample supply of sunlight • Plant nutrients flow from land and are distributed by wind and ocean currents

17. Types of Coastal Zones • Estuaries: Enclosed area of coastal water where seawater mixes with freshwater -Ecotone between the ocean and freshwater land • Coastal wetlands: Land areas covered with water all or part of the year • River mouths, inlets, bays, sounds, mangrove forest swamps, and salt marshes

18. Characteristics • Temperature and salinity levels vary due to : -the daily rhythms of the tides -seasonal variations in the flow of freshwater -unpredictable flows of freshwater after heavy rains -unpredictable flows of salt water due to hurricanes and typhoons

19. Plants and Animals • Plants: mangroves, sedge, salt bush, Galapagos carpetweed • Animals: stingrays, hammerhead sharks, seahorses, eels, angelfish, sea cucumbers, finch, sea turtles

20. Challenges • Numerous interactions with the land so human activities easily affect it • Site of most large commercial marine fisheries

21. Hypolimnion

22. What is the Hypolimnion? • One of three distinct layers of a lake characterized by different temperatures • A lower layer of colder, denser water, with a lower concentration of dissolved oxygen because it is not exposed to the atmosphere • Does not receive many nutrients from the upper layers

23. Characteristics • Coldest layer of a lake in the summer and the warmest layer during the winter • Receives insufficient amount of light for photosynthesis to occur • Unavailable as a habitat for most plants and animals