Deciduous rainforests

Adaptations of vegetation and animals in this type of climate. Also includes the places where it is found/

1. Deciduous rainforests

2. Where are they Located? Deciduous forests can be found in the eastern half of North America, and the middle of Europe . There are many deciduous forests in Asia . Some of the major areas that they are in are southwest Russia, Japan, and Eastern China. South America has two big areas of deciduous forests in southern Chile and Middle East coast of Paraguay. There are deciduous forests located in New Zealand, and South E astern Australia also.   These lie regions between 23° and 66° latitude.

3. Climate In Temperate Deciduous Forests the climate is moist. It has 4 distinct seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. Summer Months begin in early June and end late in August. They have mild and wet summers ( average= 20 degrees) Winter months begin not before than December. Temperature is cool, a little below the freezing point.

4. … Precipitation measures up to 750-1,500 mm throughout the year, with a slight increase in precipitation during the summer months. Almost all of the deciduous forest are located near oceans i.e. this explains the harsh changes in climate.

5. Characteristics of Deciduous Forest. There are FIVE layers of growth forms: 1. A stratum with 60-100 feet high trees, which is dominant in various types of vegetation (genera) ex: Maple Tree , Oak, Chestnut and beech. 2 . The second stratum is made of small trees (the sapling layer), with younger specimens of the taller trees which contain various specific plant species. Ex: dogwood, redbud and shadbush.

6. 3. Consists of a shrub layer which often has the members of the heath family such as: azaleas, huckleberries and mountain laurel. 5. A ground layer that consists of lichens and mosses. These are small bryophytes (which do not have a vascular system i.e. they are small). They can also be found both on this layer and on trees, as long as the place is damp. 4. This is a herb layer of perennial forbs that bloom mostly in spring.

7. … Apart from these five layers one can observe that there are other types of vegetation such as: Lianas Poison ivy Virginia Creeper (These climb with the trees to absorb sunlight as much as possible to flower and fruit high in the forest canopy)

8. Soil Unlike Tropical Rainforests, the T emperate Rainforest has long and wet season and an other dry and foggy season. The soil of the Temperate forest is dark and damp. It is more fertile than the soil of the Tropical Rainforests because the trees roots of the vegetation in the Tropical Rainforest spread their long roots and absorb all the nutrients. This is because Temperate Forests are less biodiverse.

9. There are two types of soils. These are: Alfisols ( in cool areas) Ultisols (in warm areas)

10. Alfisols Alfisols , also known as brown forest soils have vegetation with broad leaves such that the litter under this forest is not acidic. This is because the broad leaves tend to be nutrient-demanding and their leaves bind the major nutrient bases. I.e. Aluminium and Iron are not moved from the A horizon. The autumn leaf fall provides humus which is abundant and rich. Being abundant and rich, the decaying process becomes faster. The humus gives its contents to Horizon A and B, which gives them a dark brown colour.

11. Ultisols This type of soil replaces Alfisols in the southern US. (King of the SE) Ultisols , like alfisols , support a high fraction of the planet's population -- around 18 percent. They tend to be reddish or yellowish, owing to a high content of oxidized iron. These are soils which have been weathered away much further, that they are completely leached.

12. Decomposing soil Temperate forests have high nutrient soil. This is because many organisms die and decomposers help them to decomposed and return to the soil. These decomposers are: Bacteria Fungi Insects The most important are the Fungi, because these are the only organisms which breakdown the cellulose in dead plants. Rich soils cause abundant plant growth, which attracts a broad range of animals. The animals will have a habitat with food and eventually they die, returning their nutrients to the soil.

13. Root mats Soil on the ground layer is dark (contains a lot of dead organic matter) and moist. Root mats in this type of Forest are less biodiverse (less developed) and so the roots of the trees do not absorb nutrients that accumulate on the floor from further places, which other trees might need. Competition

14. Temperate forest Tropical Forest

15. Eroding soil Timber operations and slash-and-burn farmers destroy temperate rainforest ecosystems by stripping away essential plants . These plants prevent soil erosion both by blocking wind and by holding the soil in place with their roots. Soil erosion causes the loss of many nutrients, which disrupts and gradually destroys ecosystems, as plants can no longer grow and animals can no longer find food.

16. Nurse logs These are logs that act as soil for plants on the forest floor. These particular plants grow on these logs, which provides them with the adequate nutrients they need. Since they are not on the forest floor, these plants are away from other competing plants and foraging animals, thus eventually they die and decompose. Leaving behind their material and help the Nurse log to continuously give nutrients to other plants.

17. Soils generally deep, dark, and rich. Most nutrients abundant and held in loose cycles. Replenished each year by leaf fall and weathering. Suitable for sustainable forestry and agriculture.

18. Deciduous Plant Adaptations

19. In the spring , deciduous trees begin producing thin, broad and light-weight leaves . This allows the leaf to capture the sunlight needed for food production. Also known as photosynthesis. Therefore the broad leaves are very efficient when temperatures are warm and there is plenty of sunlight.

20. In the Fall , the tree cuts off the supply of water to the leaves and seals off the area between the leaf stem and the tree trunk . With limited sunlight and water, the leaf is unable to continue producing chlorophyll, the "green" pigment in the leaves, and as the chlorophyll decreases the leaves change colour and become red, yellow and orange .

21. In winter , deciduous trees and plants go into dormancy . It is too cold for them to protect their leaves from the damage of freezing in the winter, so they simply loose the leaves and seal up the places where the leaves attach to the branches. Until the warmer spring days signal to the trees that they can grow new leaves again .

22. Animal adaptations

23. Opossum Opossums have a flexible diet , which make them successful survivors in diverse locations and conditions. Opossums can be found in deciduous forests of North America. They are nocturnal and opportunistic omnivores. Their varied diet includes fruits, berries, insects, lizards, snails and leftovers by other predators. One peculiar characteristic of this animal is that when threatened, they "play possum", which means that they act dead and also emit a foul smell of a sick or dead animal .

24. Black bear The black bear is an animal that is well adapted for the temperate deciduous forest biome. It has a heavy coat made of many layers of fur to deal with the winter cold. Black bears have long claws that help them to climb trees . This is an essential adaptation because black bears often live in hollowed trees . Black bears are omnivores, so they eat plants and animals. Most of their diet is composed of plant material, so their long claws are useful to get their food from trees and shrubs. They also hibernate to avoid having to find food in the snowy, frozen winter.

25. Red Squirrel They have strong teeth made to open pinecones and seeds. F ood storage . i s another adaptation. The nuts and seeds that are plentiful during the summer are gathered by squirrels and are stored in the hollows of trees for use during the winter months. Cold temperatures help prevent the decomposition of the nuts and seeds. F our toes on each foot with long, sharp claws to help it grab bark when climbing trees . They can support their entire weight when climbing . The red squirrel has a long bushy tail used to balance its weight while climbing a tree. To help the red squirrel keep safe in its environment, it climbs quickly.

26. Racoon The main physical advantage the raccoon has developed is an almost humanlike hand structure . A raccoon's paws are like tiny versions of a human hand, making them capable of complex tasks. These agile, five-fingered paws help the animal search for food in hard to reach places and are also efficient for climbing almost anything that offers hand-holds . The animals live on fat reserves and can lose up to half their body weight. The main defence the animal has in avoiding most predators is its nocturnal lifestyle . The ability to climb quickly also helps to escape ground-dwelling carnivores. Even with avoidance and fighting back .

27. In areas where it snows in the winter, some animals, such as rabbits and weasels, have a change in fur color twice a year. For most of the year, the fur is brown, which blends in with the colors of the forest and helps the animal to hide from predators . But in the winter the fur is white so it blends in with the snow. The animals' fur color changes automatically, and this change is controlled by the amount of daylight there is per day .

28. Other animals