Download Deciduous Forest

Deciduous Forest
What is a deciduous forest?
• Deciduous means “falling off or at a
certain season”
• Leaves fall off of trees in the winter
The Five Zones
1. The Tree Stratum
2. Small Tree and Sapling
3. Shrub
4. Herb
5. Ground
Where Are They?
Eastern North America
Middle Europe
Some parts of Asia
Chile
Eastern Coast of Paraguay
New Zealand
Southeastern Australia
Climate
• The Deciduous Forest has a Moist
Continental Climate
• 4 seasons
• Generally mild (summer: 70 degrees,
winter: 32 degrees)
• Rainfall - 14 inches during winter and 18
inches during summer
• Oceans cause climate
Soil
• Fertile
• Great agriculture regions are found here
• Most deciduous forests found in North
America are second growth forests
Threats
• Air pollutants from burning fuels kill wildlife
and poison the soil
• Humans interfere with the cycles of natural
forest fires
Threats Continued
• Acid rain damages leaves and causes
production of smaller fruit and less seeds
used in reproduction.
• Global Warming is steadily increasing
temperatures which causes less
precipitation. This leads to less growth in
the forests.
More Threats
• Clearing land for agriculture and logging
• Human occupation
• Introduction of non-native plants and
animal species cause competition for food
and habitats which results in the
endangerment of native species
• Mining causes forest not to re-grow on
damaged and depleted soils
Animal Adaptations
• The Downy Woodpecker has adapted to live in the
deciduous forest.
• Reinforced head and sharp beak
• Barbed tongue
• Ability to eat insects and berries outside of tree
Plant Adaptations
• Flowering plants have adapted to living in
the deciduous forest
• Pollen for insufficient water supply
• Showy flowers aid in capturing of pollen
Links of Interest
• http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/tempded.htm
• http://inchinapinch.com/hab_pgs/terres/d_forest/td_forest.htm
• http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/deciduous_forest.htm