Temperate Deciduous forests are forests in cool, rainy areas. They have trees that lose their leaves in Fall and they grow again in Spring. Temperate Deciduous forests are found in the middle latitudes around the globe and have four distinct seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. In the Northern Hemisphere, these forests are found in North America, Europe, and Asia. The average annual temperature in a deciduous forest is 50° F. The average rainfall is 30 to 60 inches a year. A Deciduous Temperate forest is different from other forests because of its distinct seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. During Summer the temperate is usually at an average of about 70F degrees. Summer goes from June to late august. Winter is the next season in the Temperate forest. Winter usually starts in December and the temperature is usually at an average of a little below freezing. Temperate Deciduous forests are usually near oceans which cause such a temperate change. The ocean and wind are 2 big factors of the temperature in this environment.
Animals and plants of a Temperate Deciduous Forest
Plants
Temperate Deciduous Forests have a lot of different plant species. Most have three levels of plants. Lichen, moss, ferns, wildflowers and other small plants can be found on the forest floor. Shrubs fill in the middle level and hardwood trees like maple, oak, birch, magnolia, sweet gum and beech make up the third level. Conifers like spruce, fir and pine trees can also be found mixed in with the hardwood trees in this biome. Sometimes the taiga and the temperate deciduous forest overlap.
Animals
There is great diversity of life in this biome. Insects, spiders, slugs, frogs, turtles and salamanders are common. Birds like broad-winged hawks, cardinals, snowy owls, and pileated woodpeckers are also found in this biome. Mammals include whitetailed deer, raccoon, opossums and porcupines and red foxes.
Animals that live in the temperate deciduous forest must be able to adapt to the changing seasons. Some animals in this biome migrate or hibernate in the winter.
Abiotic Factors
Wind
Strong winds make leaves, branches and trees fall, beginning the decomposition process that returns nutrients captured in plants back to the soil. However, less noticeable winds are no less important. White trilliums, a small plant, rely on winds to spread pollen, fertilizing nearby plants.
But winds also pick up particles from exposed soil, spreading not only dirt, but any bacteria or fungi organisms that may be present in the soil. Long periods of strong winds can even be responsible for spreading disease through a forest.
Water
Water is nonliving, and plants and animals rely on it for survival. Whether falling on the forest plants as rain or drank by animals from a pond or slow-moving stream, life in the forest would not be able to survive without it.
Standing and slow-moving water is also an entire habitat to a number of microorganisms, such as algae. When the temperature and chemical makeup of the water is right, this can encourage the growth of organisms like algae that can potentially throw off the existing balance of the ecosystem. Large algae blooms can cover an area, blocking sunlight from plants and animals below, stifling growth.
Rainfall is also a critical factor in the deciduous forest; the constant precipitation keeps soil moist without being wet, making it one of the most fertile biomes.
Temperature
Warm spring months ease the plants and animals back to life, encouraging animal reproduction with the development of new leaves and plants. The warmer summer months allow these animals long enough to raise their young, often allowing them to set off on their own prepared to fend for themselves by the fall. As the temperature starts to drop, the trees of the deciduous forest lose their leaves and go into a state of hibernation. This temperature cue is critical for the animals as well, some of whom begin storing food for the winter months while others gorge themselves in preparation for hibernation.
The long winter months mean a struggle for survival during the long period when the deciduous forest is snow-covered. Plants and animals alike structure their habits and life cycles around this time.
Sunlight
All plants need sunlight to survive, and it is this basic building block of life that has formed much of the structure of the deciduous forest. Trees are encouraged to grow tall; the taller the trees, the more sunlight is available to the leaves of the canopy. Beneath these tall, established trees are a shorter layer, often close to the ground. These ferns and shrublike bushes tend to be varieties that thrive in shady conditions, as they have to survive on what sunlight makes it through the trees. In turn, many of the herbivores in the forest are species that have adapted to live on these smaller plants.
Biotic Factors
Pathogens
Many organisms are effected by pathogens in the forest. For example, rabies is always a concern in the park. This disease causes inflammation of the brain, which makes the victims hallucinate and often become violent. It is highly contagious through saliva (e.g. being bitten by an infected animal).
Parasites
Parasites also negatively affect organisms in the park. One of the most well know parasites in this area is the tick, a small arachnid that attaches to the skin of an organism and drinks its blood. Deer ticks in particular are known to carry diseases such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain fever.
Competition
Organisms in the park compete for resources such as food, water, or mates. For example, male deer compete with each other for mates in the springtime. Competition can effect where an organism lives and what time of day it comes out.
Predation
Any organism that does not produce its own food must obtain energy by feeding on another organism. For example, insects eat grass, frogs eat insects, and owls eat frogs. Predation has caused many forest animals to take on special adaptations to help them escape predators or catch prey more easily.
Picture from http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/deciduous_forest.htm
Temperate Deciduous forests are found in the eastern half of North America, and the middle of Europe. There are a lot of deciduous forests in Asia. Some of the major areas that Temperate Forests are in are Japan and eastern China.There are also Deciduous forests in New Zealand, and southeastern Australia too.
Temperate Deciduous Forest Food Web
Symbiotic Relationships
Parasitism : A tick feasting on a deer
Mutualism : Bees feed on nectar and spread pollen to flowers
Commensalism : Tapeworm in fish spreading to other fish spread to the human that eats the fish from
undercooking it.
References:
BluePlanetBiomes. (2001, 5 1). World Biomes. Retrieved from BluePlanetBiomes: World Biomes: http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/world_biomes.htm
Marietta College. (2010, 10 6). The Temperate Deciduous Forest. Retrieved from Marietta College: Temperate Deciduous Forest: http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/tempded.htm
MBGNet website. (2008, 7 13). Temperate Decidous Forest Biome. Retrieved from MBGNet: Temperate Deciduous Forest: http://www.mbgnet.net/pfg/diverse/temp/index.htm
NASA. (2009, 3 17). Temperate Deciduous Forest. Retrieved from NASA: Earth Observatory: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Experiments/Biome/biotemperate.php
BluePlanetBiomes. (2001, 5 1). World Biomes. Retrieved from BluePlanetBiomes: World Biomes: http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/world_biomes.htm
Marietta College. (2010, 10 6). The Temperate Deciduous Forest. Retrieved from Marietta College: Temperate Deciduous Forest: http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/tempded.htm
MBGNet website. (2008, 7 13). Temperate Decidous Forest Biome. Retrieved from MBGNet: Temperate Deciduous Forest: http://www.mbgnet.net/pfg/diverse/temp/index.htm
NASA. (2009, 3 17). Temperate Deciduous Forest. Retrieved from NASA: Earth Observatory: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Experiments/Biome/biotemperate.php