The Deciduous Forest By: Kelli Ferguson Leah Holleman Jessica Corn Location, Location, Location! Found in eastern half of North America, middle of Europe, Asia, and South America. Located in the temperate zone above tropical forests and below coniferous forests. Deciduous means falling off or out at a certain season. Thus, leaves fall off the trees when winter comes. Five Zones Tree Stratum Zone: Contains trees such as oak, beech, maple, chestnut, hickory and elm. Height varies from 60ft.-100ft. Small Tree and Sapling Zone: Young, short trees Shrub Zone: Rhododendrons, azaleas, huckleberries Herb Zone: Short, herbal plants Ground Zone: Lichens, mosses Climate Average annual temperature= 50 F Average rain fall= inches per year Four seasons: Spring: warm and breezy Summer: hot and humid, begins early June and ends in late August, avg. temp 70, about 18 in. of rain Autumn: cool and breezy, leaves change color Winter: cold and frosty, trees lose leaves, avg. temp below freezing, about 14 in. of rain Most are located by an ocean. The ocean and wind affect temp. and climate change Biomass and Productivity Contain many tree species within a small area Biomass is relatively high compared to other vegetation communities Most biomass occurs below ground in the root systems and as partially decomposed plant detritus Fertile soil has led to the clearing of the forests for agricultural use -Almost all the forests in North America are second growth forests. Due to some soil or sediment still present, vegetation can germinate and plants can re- grow after a major disturbance. Animals Nut and acorn feeders Omnivores Deer, gray squirrels, mice, raccoons, salamanders, snakes, robins, frogs, mosquitoes Animal Adaptations Adapt by hibernating in the winter and living off the land in the other 3 seasons. Have adapted to the land by trying the plants in the forest to see if they are good to eat for a sufficient supply of food. Use the trees for shelter, food, and water sources. Many animals are camouflaged to look like the ground. More Animal Adaptations White-tailed deer: -Eats green plants in the summer; nuts, acorns, and twigs in the winter -Form herds to keep warm in the winter -Protective coloring allows it to hide in the undergrowth -Makes snorting sounds and stamps hooves to alert other deer of danger -Raises its tail so other deer have a guide to follow away from danger -Over time, the deer has developed good eyesight and hearing to avoid predators, including humans Plants Broad-leaf deciduous trees which turn colors of red and gold in the fall and lose their leaves in the winter -oak, hickory, maple, poplar, and sycamore Evergreen trees More Plant Info Layers of plants depend upon climate, soil, and age of forest 1. Forest canopy: tallest trees (tree stratum zone) 2. Understory: Trees are more shade tolerant (small tree zone) 3. Shrub layer (shrub zone) 4. Herb layer: Carpet the forest floor; made up of wildflowers, mosses, and ferns (herb zone) 5. Ground: Fallen leaves, twigs, and dried up plants which decompose and add nutrients to the topsoil (ground zone) Plant Adaptations Lean toward the sun in order to undergo the process of photosynthesis -The penetration of more sunlight supports a richer diversity of plant life at the ground level Soak up nutrients in the ground which animals consume The low rate of decomposition allows the accumulation of a thick layer of slowly decaying leaf litter to provide nutrients More Plant Adaptations Wildflowers: grow on the forest floor early in the spring before trees leaf-out and shade the floor Deciduous Trees: Thin, broad, light-weight leaves that capture a lot of sunlight to make food for the tree in warm weather -Cold weather: Leaves lose too much water and can be weighed down by snow, so they fall in the winter to prevent the tree from dying. Most trees have thick barks to protect against cold winters Threats to the Biome Lost land to farms and towns, destroying habitats of animals Poachers hunt the animals Acid rain caused by industrial and vehicular emissions Spread of invasive species that compete for space and food Cleared and replaced with tree plantations consisting of single tree species -Harvested as Christmas trees, timber, or wood converted into the paper we use today. Mining damages the land to the extent that forests cant re-grow on the depleted soils Heres A Short VideomplTQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q064mI mplTQ The Coastal Zone What is the Coastal Zone? Warm, shallow water that extends from the high-tide mark on land to the continental shelf (submerged part of continents) Contains 90% of all marine species Ample supply of sunlight Plant nutrients flow from land and are distributed by wind and ocean currents Types of Coastal Zones Estuaries: Enclosed area of coastal water where seawater mixes with freshwater -Ecotone between the ocean and freshwater land Coastal wetlands: Land areas covered with water all or part of the year River mouths, inlets, bays, sounds, mangrove forest swamps, and salt marshes Characteristics Temperature and salinity levels vary due to : -the daily rhythms of the tides -seasonal variations in the flow of freshwater -unpredictable flows of freshwater after heavy rains -unpredictable flows of salt water due to hurricanes and typhoons Plants and Animals Plants: mangroves, sedge, salt bush, Galapagos carpetweed Animals: stingrays, hammerhead sharks, seahorses, eels, angelfish, sea cucumbers, finch, sea turtles Challenges Numerous interactions with the land so human activities easily affect it Site of most large commercial marine fisheries Hypolimnion What is the Hypolimnion? One of three distinct layers of a lake characterized by different temperatures A lower layer of colder, denser water, with a lower concentration of dissolved oxygen because it is not exposed to the atmosphere Does not receive many nutrients from the upper layers Characteristics Coldest layer of a lake in the summer and the warmest layer during the winter Receives insufficient amount of light for photosynthesis to occur Unavailable as a habitat for most plants and animals