Temperate Deciduous Forest / Broadleaf Forest
The temperate deciduous forest are mostly found in the Northern Hemisphere which include Chile, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, and Eastern United States. The forest receives about 70-200 cm of precipitation per year, keeping a cool atmosphere. The temperature of the forests would normally be around - 30 C to 30 C, where there are hot summers and cold winters. Besides that, like the rainforest, the deciduous forest have layers within the forest which are called the tree layers, small tree layers, shrub layers, herb layers, and the ground layers. The deciduous usually fall during the autumn season, reducing the rate of photosynthesis in the trees. Furthermore, since there are four seasons around the regions of the forests, some animals like birds migrate during the winter period, whereas some animals adapt themselves with their furs and feathers, and they live according to the layers of trees that protect and shelter them. (Image: http://www.mbgnet.net)
In addition, among the layers of the trees, there are a variety of producers such as oak trees, mosses, ferns, maple trees, Dutchman's Breeches, redbuds, magnolias, lichens, liverworts, algae, and many more. As for the consumers, many animals have adapted and adjusted to the deciduous climate, like:
Since the forest is rich with different types of species, there are many symbiosis relationships between two different species, for example, the grey squirrel and the trees have a commensalism relationship, which is one of the symbiosis where the squirrels use the trees as a shelter to protect themselves from predators while the trees are not benefited nor harmed. Furthermore, another type would be a parasitism relationship where ticks feast on deer, and it only benefits the ticks but harm the deer as they are being eaten slowly by the ticks for meals.
In addition, there are many roles of predation that helps the biome to control the population of certain organisms. For example, the black bears are very crucial to the deciduous forest, as they clear the forest floors by feeding on the dead animal bodies. They also feed on insects, which helps to maintain the population of the insects in the biome. Besides that, the black bears enjoy eating berries from the trees, which eliminates the dead and unneeded berries as new ones grow. Another example of a role of predation would be the black-backed woodpeckers, as they feed on several types of insects in order to maintain thier poulation in the biome and help the deciduous trees to grow without the insects feeding on them.
Apart from that, this beautiful forest is constantly in trouble due to some reckless human activities that includes industrial expansions and colonization in the forest, logging, land clearing, and urban developments. It is commonly known that the trees in the deciduous forest regenerate in a quick pace, but they are not fast enough to replenish an entire part of the forest once it is cut down.
In addition, among the layers of the trees, there are a variety of producers such as oak trees, mosses, ferns, maple trees, Dutchman's Breeches, redbuds, magnolias, lichens, liverworts, algae, and many more. As for the consumers, many animals have adapted and adjusted to the deciduous climate, like:
- grey squirrels
- deer
- grey foxes
- snowy owls
- cougars
- brown bears
- rodents
- grey tree frogs
- broad-winged hawk
- garter snake
- bald eagle
- wolves and many more.
Since the forest is rich with different types of species, there are many symbiosis relationships between two different species, for example, the grey squirrel and the trees have a commensalism relationship, which is one of the symbiosis where the squirrels use the trees as a shelter to protect themselves from predators while the trees are not benefited nor harmed. Furthermore, another type would be a parasitism relationship where ticks feast on deer, and it only benefits the ticks but harm the deer as they are being eaten slowly by the ticks for meals.
In addition, there are many roles of predation that helps the biome to control the population of certain organisms. For example, the black bears are very crucial to the deciduous forest, as they clear the forest floors by feeding on the dead animal bodies. They also feed on insects, which helps to maintain the population of the insects in the biome. Besides that, the black bears enjoy eating berries from the trees, which eliminates the dead and unneeded berries as new ones grow. Another example of a role of predation would be the black-backed woodpeckers, as they feed on several types of insects in order to maintain thier poulation in the biome and help the deciduous trees to grow without the insects feeding on them.
Apart from that, this beautiful forest is constantly in trouble due to some reckless human activities that includes industrial expansions and colonization in the forest, logging, land clearing, and urban developments. It is commonly known that the trees in the deciduous forest regenerate in a quick pace, but they are not fast enough to replenish an entire part of the forest once it is cut down.