Transcript The Deciduous Forest

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= 30-60 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 regrow 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 can’t
re-grow on the depleted soils
Here’s A Short Video…
• http://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