Temperate Deciduous Forest

1. Temperate Deciduous Forest

2. Location • Deciduous Forest can be found in the eastern half of North America as well as parts of Asia and Europe • Average rainfall is about 30 to 60 inches per year • Average annual temperature is 50 Degrees Fahrenheit

3. Five Zones of Temperate Forests: 1.) Ground Zone: Linchen, club mosses, true mosses 2.) Herb Zone: Short plants-herbal plants 3.) Shrub Zone: Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Huckleberries 4.) Small Tree/Sapling Zone: Young and short trees 5.) Tree Stratum Zone: Oak, Beech, Maple (height ranges between 60-100 feet)

4. Four Distinct Seasons: Spring: • Days lengthen and get warmer • Wildlife returns and new leaf and flower buds appear on deciduous trees • Insects hatch and become food for returning birds, rodents and reptiles Summer: • Forest green, food is plentiful • Animals reproduce Autumn: • Daylight shortens and temperatures decrease • Deciduous trees reduce amount of green chlorophyll in leaves-turn orange, yellow, red, brown • Leaves fall and recycled into soil • Animals store food for hibernating in winter Winter: • Forests look lifeless and bare • Most wildlife hibernate or migrates • Blanketed in snow for most of winter

5. Climatograph

7. Abiotic Components 1.) Wind: • Fallen branches/ trees begin decomposition process (returns nutrients in plants back to soil) • Plants rely on wind to spread pollen to fertilize nearby plants 2.) Water: • Animals rely on water to survive • Standing/ slow moving water are habitats for microorganisms (algae) 3.) Temperature: • Warm temperatures in spring encourage animals to reproduce and new leaves and plants to develop • Cooler temperatures cause laves on deciduous trees to change color and eventually drop. Animals store food for winter or go into hibernation

8. Biotic Components 1.) Vegetation: • Lady Fern • American Beech • White Birch • White Oak • Maple Tree 2.) Animals: • Black Bear • Fox • Squirrel • Deer • Brown Bear • Red Cardinal • American Bald Eagle

9. Food Web

10. What would we lose? • Keystone species (black/brown bears, squirrels, fox…) • Natural resources • Abundant plant and animal life which are all apart of the food web, with the natural cause and effect system, if we lose types of plants we lose types of animals, and the chain goes on

11. What importance does it have to us? • Fertile soil • Abundance of trees and plant life • Hunted animals • Expensive hardwood trees used to make furniture

12. Bibliography • T, Connie. "Deciduous Forest Biome ." Blue Planet Biomes. N.p., 2001. Web. 11 Oct 2012. <http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/deciduous_plant_page.htm>. • Fink, Martin . "Deciduous Biome." . N.p., 2012. Web. 11 Oct 2012. <http://biomee.wikispaces.com/Deciduous Biome>. • "Nature Works:Temperate Deciduous Forest." nhptv.Org. N.p., 2012. Web. 11 Oct 2012. <http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/nwep8c.htm>. • "Temperate Deciduous Forest." Marietta.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct 2012. <http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/tempded.htm>. • Allaby, Michael. Temperate Forests. New York: Facts on File Inc, 1999. Print.