World Biomes

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World Biomes

• Temperate deciduous forest

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Climate

• Well-defined seasons with a distinct winter
  characterize this forest biome. Moderate climate
  and a growing season of 140-200 days during 4-6
  frost-free months distinguish temperate forests.
• Temperature varies from -30 C to 30 C.
• Precipitation (750-1500 mm) is distributed evenly
  throughout the year.

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Distribution of biome

• Temperate deciduous forests occur in eastern
  North America, north-eastern Asia, and western
  and central Europe.
• Most temperate deciduous forests are found in
  Eastern North America somewhere around 35-48 N,
  and Europe and Asia around 45-60 N.
• There are some temperate deciduous regions in the
  southern hemisphere but their plants and animals
  are different from those of the northern
  deciduous forests.

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Distribution
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Soil

• Brown forest soils develop under the trees.
  Broadleaf trees tend to be nutrient-demanding and
  their leaves bind the major nutrient bases. The
  autumn leaf fall provides for an abundant and
  rich humus which begins to decay rapidly in
  spring just as the growing season begins. The
  humus content gives soil horizons a brown colour.

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Plants I

• Summer is a busy time for deciduous trees.  Their
  broad leaves capture energy from the sun and
  convert it to food by photosynthesis.  Some of
  the food is used for growth and some is stored in
  the roots for next spring.  
• During the shorter days and cooler weather of
  autumn, green chlorophyll in the leaves begins to
  decompose, revealing brilliant oranges, yellows,
  and reds.  Actually, these colours were present
  in the leaves all year long, but had been hidden
  by the green pigment of the chlorophyll.  

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Plants II

• To prepare for winter, deciduous trees and plants
  become dormant.  They loose their leaves and seal
  the places where leaves were attached with a
  protective covering called a leaf scar.  If they
  kept their leaves, the water in the leaves would
  freeze into ice, damaging the leaves and leaving
  the plant vulnerable to bacteria or fungi. 
  Plants also make a concentrated sugar solution to
  stop water from freezing in their stems.  
• The longer days and warmer weather of spring
  signal to the trees to grow new leaves and begin
  photosynthesis again. 

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Oak
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Sugar maple
Chestnut
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Beech
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Heather
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Animals

• Precipitation in the temperate deciduous forest
  falls throughout the year. However, during the
  winter months it is usually frozen and less is
  available for animals to drink. Animals living
  within this biome must adjust to cold winters and
  hot summers by hibernating, migrating, or keeping
  active all winter. Leaves fall off trees here in
  the fall, leaving animals with less cover to
  hide themselves from predators. 

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Racoon
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Boar
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Deer
Marten
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Golden oriole
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Adder
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People

• Human populations are quite high in this zone
  (which includes many of world's largest cities),
  fairly pleasant climatically and very productive
  of harvestable plant and animal life. Because the
  soil is excellent for agriculture, much of it has
  been cleared for a very long time all over the
  world for this purpose. In addition, hardwood
  trees are valuable for timber, so these forests
  were severely altered for thousands of years even
  before extensive farming.

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