Temperate Forest

Caroline C.

Nick F.

AP Environmental Science

1st hour

Location

• Temperate forests are located in mostly the northern hemisphere.

• Eastern United States, Canada, Europe, China, and Japan the countries where temperate forest are dominate or very abundant.

Temperature

• Temperate forests have four very distinct seasons. The four seasons are winter, spring, summer, and fall.

• The average annual temperature is 10°C(50°F).

• The temperature can range from -30°C (-22°F) in the winter to 30°C(86°F) in summer.

Rainfall

• There can range between 750 to 1,500 mm of rain each year.

• Temperate forest rainfall compared to other biome rainfall.

Temperate Forest Facts

• Temperate forests are also known as deciduous forests.

• Most of the trees lose their leaves in the winter because there is not enough sunlight to continue photosynthesis.

• This allows them to survive very cold winters and then grow leaves in the warmer seasons.

Plants/Floras• There are many layers of plants

found in forests.

• Small plants including shrubs, moss, ferns, and lichens often grow under the shadows of the tall trees in temperate forests.

• Most of the trees in temperate forests are called hardwoods, including maple, birch, beech, oak, hickory, and sweet gum. These trees loose their leaves in the winter.

• A temperate forest also has a few pine trees and other coniferous trees.

Plant adaptation

• The leaves of deciduous trees are broad and quite light. This gives the leaves a bigger surface to capture sunlight to help produce food for the plant. This is called photosynthesis

Layers of Plants in Temperate Forests

• Top layer: tall deciduous trees. Even though the canopy is very thick, it does allow sunlight to reach the forest floor, which encourages the other layers to grow.

• The 2nd layer: saplings and shorter kinds of trees

• The 3rd layer: shrubs.

• The 4th layer: forest herbs, such as wildflowers and berries. In spring, before the leaves develop on the deciduous trees, these herbs bloom and grow quickly while they are getting a lot of sunlight.

• The 5th layer: mosses and lichens that grow on tree trunks

Animals/Faunas• Forests contain huge varieties of animals, including mammals,

birds, insects and reptiles.Animals found in temperate forests are mainly either mast-eaters, animals that eat nuts and acorns, or omnivores.

• Herbivores found in North America include gray squirrels, white-tail deer, and chipmunks.

• The number of Carnivores in forests have greatly decreased due to humans. Some carnivores still around include timber wolves, mountain lions, and bobcats.

• Animals have adapted to survive in Temperate Forests.• Many of them migrate to warmer places to escape the cold winter

months, while others hibernatethrough the winter when food is scarce.

Biodiversity

• Temperate Forests have vast numbers of different plants and animals, giving it a high degree of biodiversity.

Biomass Pyramid

Forest herbs, such as wildflowers and berries

Raccoons, squirrels, skunks, wood mice, deers

Bobcats, mountain lions, timberwolves,

and coyotes

Works Cited

• "Temperate Forest Biome." <Http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/education/projects/webunits/biomes/tforest.html>. 19 Oct. 2008.

• "Temperate Forests." <Http://www.globio.org/glossopedia/article.aspx?art_id=3>.

• "Temperate Deciduous Forests Biome." <http://www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/biomeforest.htm>.