Temperate Deciduous Forest
Temperate Deciduous Forest
The temperate deciduous forest, best developed in eastern North America, encompasses several forest types that change gradually from the northeast to the south. Deciduous, broad-leaved trees such as oak, maple, and beech that shed their leaves in winter predominate. Seasonal aspects are better defined in this biome than in any other. The deciduous habit is an adaptation of dormancy for low-energy levels from the sun in winter and freezing winter temperatures. In summer, the relatively dense forests form a closed canopy that creates deep shade below. Consequently there has been a selection for understory plants that grow rapidly in the spring and flower early before the canopy develops. The mean annual precipitation is relatively high (75 to 125 cm, or 30 to 50 inches), and rain falls periodically throughout the year. Mean annual temperatures range between 5° and 18° C (41° to 65° F).
Animal communities in deciduous forests respond to seasonal change in various ways. Some, such as the insect-eating warblers, migrate. Others, such as woodchucks, hibernate during winter months. Others that are unable to escape survive by using available food (for example, deer) or stored food supplies (for example, squirrels). Hunting and habitat loss have eliminated virtually all the large carnivores that once roamed eastern forests, such as mountain lions, bobcats, and wolves. Deer, on the other hand, thrive in second-growth forests under protection of strict hunting management. Insect and invertebrate communities are abundant in deciduous forests because decaying logs and forest floor litter provide excellent shelter.
Heavy exploitation of the deciduous forests of North America began in the seventeenth century and reached a peak in the nineteenth century. Logging removed nearly all of the oncemagnificent stands of temperate hardwoods. With the opening of the prairie for agriculture, many eastern farms were abandoned and allowed to return gradually to deciduous forests.
The temperate deciduous forest, best developed in eastern North America, encompasses several forest types that change gradually from the northeast to the south. Deciduous, broad-leaved trees such as oak, maple, and beech that shed their leaves in winter predominate. Seasonal aspects are better defined in this biome than in any other. The deciduous habit is an adaptation of dormancy for low-energy levels from the sun in winter and freezing winter temperatures. In summer, the relatively dense forests form a closed canopy that creates deep shade below. Consequently there has been a selection for understory plants that grow rapidly in the spring and flower early before the canopy develops. The mean annual precipitation is relatively high (75 to 125 cm, or 30 to 50 inches), and rain falls periodically throughout the year. Mean annual temperatures range between 5° and 18° C (41° to 65° F).
Animal communities in deciduous forests respond to seasonal change in various ways. Some, such as the insect-eating warblers, migrate. Others, such as woodchucks, hibernate during winter months. Others that are unable to escape survive by using available food (for example, deer) or stored food supplies (for example, squirrels). Hunting and habitat loss have eliminated virtually all the large carnivores that once roamed eastern forests, such as mountain lions, bobcats, and wolves. Deer, on the other hand, thrive in second-growth forests under protection of strict hunting management. Insect and invertebrate communities are abundant in deciduous forests because decaying logs and forest floor litter provide excellent shelter.
Heavy exploitation of the deciduous forests of North America began in the seventeenth century and reached a peak in the nineteenth century. Logging removed nearly all of the oncemagnificent stands of temperate hardwoods. With the opening of the prairie for agriculture, many eastern farms were abandoned and allowed to return gradually to deciduous forests.
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