Download The Forest Biome

The Forest Biome
By:
Anne, Jared, and Katie
Overview
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Dominated by trees, the forest biome requires
an abundance of soil water. Moist climates
support the growth of forests. A warm season,
if not a warm climate, is necessary for growth
in the forest biome. There are six formations
within the forest biome.
Ranges
Low Latitude Rainforest
They occur near the
equator, within the
area bounded by
latitudes 23.5 degrees
N and 23.5 degrees S.
One of the major
characteristics of
tropical forests is
their distinct
seasonality: winter is
absent, and only two
seasons are present
(rainy and dry). The
length of daylight is
12 hours and varies
little.
Low Latitude Rainforest
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Temperature is on average 20-25° C and varies little throughout the year:
the average temperatures of the three warmest and three coldest months do
not differ by more than 5 degrees.
Precipitation is evenly distributed throughout the year, with annual rainfall
exceeding 2000 mm.
Soil is nutrient-poor and acidic. Decomposition is rapid and soils are
subject to heavy leaching.
Canopy in tropical forests is multilayered and continuous, allowing little
light penetration.
Flora is highly diverse: one square kilometer may contain as many as 100
different tree species. Trees are 25-35 m tall, with buttressed trunks and
shallow roots, mostly evergreen, with large dark green leaves. Plants such
as orchids, bromeliads, vines (lianas), ferns, mosses, and palms are present
in tropical forests.
Fauna include numerous birds, bats, small mammals, and insects.
Monsoon Forest
The Monsoon forests are different
because they are deciduous forests
and dry up during droughts and
the dry season. The Monsoon forest
typically has an open canopy, and
are spaced further apart than
Rainforests. This promotes vegetation
on the forest floor.
Subtropical Evergreen Forest
This forest is associated with
moist subtropical climates.
Vegetation consists of broadleaf
and needleleaf evergreen trees.
Midlatitude Deciduous Forest
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The Midlatitude Deciduous Forest
Eastern North America and Western Europe are where this native type of forest is found. Tall, broadleaf
trees such as oak, beech, birch, hickory, walnut, maple, elm and ash are common to the midlatitude
deciduous forest. Hemlock and other needleleaf pines will take over these forests once the larger deciduous
trees have been cleared for lumber. The majority of this type of forest is found in the moist continental
climate, although in Western Europe the climate is marine west-coast. This forest also occurs in Asia as a
belt between the boreal forest to the north and steppe region to the south. In Patagonia, near the southern tip
of South America, is a relatively small deciduous forest. There are deciduous forests located in New
Zealand, and southeastern Australia. The average annual temperature in a deciduous forest is 50° F. The
average rainfall is 30 to 60 inches per year. The soil of the deciduous forest is incredibly fertile due to the
fallen leaves and ensuing nutrients. The world’s deciduous forests have been overtaken by agriculture
because of their fertile soil.
The midlatitude deciduous forest is stratified by layers of canopy and supports animal life in each of the
layers. The ground layer contains lichen, club mosses, and true mosses. The largest concentration of
organisms is supported by the ground layer, due to a more uniform environment with regard to humidity
and temperature. Soil invertabrates (insects, snails, etc.) support burrowing rodents (ground squirrels, mice,
shrews) and some larger burrowing mammals (foxes, woodchucks,and rabbits.) Most of the larger
mammals (various species of deer depending on the location of the forest) eat the ground and shrub layer
vegetation. The next layer contains herbs such as ferms, the third layer contains shrubs including mountain
laurel and huckleberries. The fourth layer is dominated by saplings. Well-fed smaller mammals are eaten by
larger mammals and birds of prey. Birds live in various canopies depending on what they eat and how they
nest. Predators other than bears include lynx, wildcats, wolves, the aforementioned fox, weasels, and birds
of prey including owls.
Needleleaf Forest
Schlerophyll
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Sclerophyll is a type of vegetation that has hard leaves and short internodes (the distance
between leaves along the stem). The word comes from the Greek sclero (hard) and phyllon
(leaf). Sclerophyllous plants occur in all parts of the world but are most typical of Australia.
They are also prominent in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome that covers
the Mediterranean Basin, Californian woodlands, Chilean Matorral, and the Cape Province of
South Africa.
In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin refers to the lands around the Mediterranean Sea
that have a Mediterranean climate, with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers, which
supports characteristic Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub vegetation. Most areas of
the Australian continent able to support woody plants are occupied by sclerophyll
communities as forests, savannas or heathlands. Common plants include the Proteaceae
(Grevilleas, Banksias and Hakeas), tea-trees, Acacias, Boronias, Eucalypts.
As a rule of thumb, the Mediterranean Basin is the Old World region where olive trees grow.
Dry sclerophyll forests (and woodlands) typically consist of multi-aged stands of eucalypts
and have an understorey dominated by hard leafed shrubs, grasses, sedges or bracken fern.
LEAVES OF A EUCALYPT OR GUM
Transpiration, or loss of water through the pores of the leaves, is further reduced by the fact
that the leaves hang vertically, avoiding the sun in the hottest part of the day. Even their light,
silvery color reflects sunlight and helps keep the leaves cool. The trees grow in areas of poor
soil and little water, but they are so well adapted to their conditions that they still manage to
gather and transpire about 240 liters of water every day.
Wet Schlerophyll Forest
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Wet Eucalypt Forest
Wet sclerophyll forest has a tall eucalypt overstorey
and a dense understorey of ferns, soft broad leaved
shrubs such as and musk, blanket bush, dogwood and
small trees.
This subclassification of sclerophyll forest exists
only in Australia and Tasmania and is so classified
due to the dominant tree, the eucalyptus. A koala
bear’s diet is primarily eucalyptus leaves.