Download Temperate Rainforest

Temperate Rainforest
Victoria Neufeld
Location of Temperate Rainforests
Major locations of temperate rainforest include the pacific
coast of North America, and parts of southern South America.
Climate
Temperate rainforests have four distinct seasons.
Precipitation is high while temperatures are mild.
The minimum winter temperature
is -12℃ and the annual
precipitation is between 750 and
2000 mm.
Winter
During the winter, plants create
a sugar solution so that water
does not freeze in the stem,
helping the plant survive
through the winter. This
preserves the plant until spring.
Spring
Spring is when plants get rid of the sugar solution and
new leaves grow on trees in order for both to begin
the process of photosynthesis again.
Summer
Summer in the temperate rainforest is dry and
foggy.
Autumn
The leaves of
deciduous trees change
colour in autumn
because the trees stop
producing chlorophyll,
the substance that
makes tree leaves
green.
Benefits of a Mild Climate
The mild weather of the temperate rainforest
makes for a longer growing season. This means
enough crops can be harvested for food during
the colder months.
Soil Type
Decaying matter and fallen leaves
and needles from trees on the
forest floor break down into
humus, releasing nutrients for
plant growth. These nutrients
create a black or dark brown
coloured fertile soil. The type soil
that forms in the temperate
rainforest is called pedalfer soil.
Biomass
Since the climate of a temperate
rainforest is milder than that of a
tropical rainforest, it experiences less
biodiversity. However, this biome has
the most biomass out of all the
biomes. Biomass is the total mass of
organisms in a given area. 40-60% of
the biomass in this biome exists in the
decaying matter.
Benefits of Large Biomass
- A large biomass provides good chances of
regeneration after clear cutting
Plant Life and Adaptations
Temperate Rainforests contain mainly coniferous trees
including western red cedar, douglas fir, and hemlock.
However, it is also home to some deciduous trees such as
maple, chestnut, poplar, and oak. Trees are able to grow
very tall because of high amounts of precipitation.
Cathedral Grove
Cathedral Grove is home to
some of the widest and tallest
trees in British Columbia.
Plant Life and Adaptations
Trees in this biome grow very large leaves to
soak up as much sunlight as possible.
Plant Life and Adaptations
Trees produce sap during the winter to keep their roots from
freezing. In the spring the sap can be tapped to make syrup
and is then used as energy to start growing again.
Plant Life and Adaptations
Besides the pain it brings you when you touch it, Stinging Nettle has
many different uses. It can be used for medicine, young leaves can be
eaten raw with caution or cooked (an excellent source of vitamin B,
proteins, and iron. It can also be used to make
teas which act as a preventative against allergies.
Plant Life and Adaptations
The outer bark on trees
in temperate rainforests
protects the tree from
insects and insulates the
tree from extreme
weather conditions.
Plant Life and Adaptations
Indian Paintbrush is a recognized by its bright
red, clover-like flowers.
Plant Life and Adaptations
The salmonberry is a relative of the blackberry and
raspberry. It produces berries in the spring that appear to
be orange raspberries. Both the berry and the shoot are
edible.
Plant Life and Adaptations
There are many epiphytes in a temperate rainforest. An
epiphyte is a plant that grows on another plant but is not
parasitic. Epiphytes grow on higher plants in order to reach
more sunlight. Examples of these in a temperate rainforests are
mosses, ferns, and lichens.
Vegetation Layers and Seasons
The temperate rainforest has five layers in its structure.
They are tree stratum, small tree or sapling, shrub, herb,
and forest floor.
1.Tree Stratum
The tree stratum is approximately 18-30 metres high
and contains trees such as oak, maple, walnut, and
hickory. This zone receives the most sunlight out of all
the layers.
2. Small Tree and Sapling
The small tree and sapling zone contains not only young
trees of the same species of those in the tree stratum,
but also species exclusive to this zone. A few of these are
dogwood, sourwood, and shadbush.
3. Shrub
The next layer is
called the shrub
layer. This zone
contains species
such as
rhododendron,
azaleas, and
huckleberries.
4. Herb
This layer includes short, herbal plants as well as
other small plants.
5. Forest Floor
On the forest floor there are many different species.
Some of which include mosses, lichens, mushrooms,
nursing logs, fallen leaves, needles, and branches. This
layer is always damp and shaded.
Food Web
The food web of
temperate
rainforests is
generalized, this
means that one
predator can and will
eat many different
preys.
Wildlife and Adaptations
The banana slug is the second largest slug in the world. It is bright
yellow in colour and sometimes has spots that are brown, green, or
black spots. The slime on their bellies helps protect them from sharp
objects. It helps with the decomposition and the nutrient cycles
where it lives by eating decomposing organic matter.
Wildlife and Adaptations
The cougar is the second largest cat in the
New World. Its diet is a broad one. They will
eat anything they can find from moose to
porcupines to snails and even other cougars.
Wildlife and Adaptations
Raccoons have needed to broaden their diet because humans are
continuously overtaking their territory. Their hand-like paws give
them the ability to grasp various objects such as trash can lids.
Wildlife and Adaptations
Each of a black bears eyes
can see the world with two
completely separate
pictures. This is called
monocular vision,it allows
the bear more peripheral
vision to scan more easily
for prey.
Wildlife and Adaptations
White-tailed deer have brown, soft fur to keep them
warm during the winter. Their antlers help protect them
from other predators. Deer are active at all times of the
day.