Deciduous forest Grace Tisone

Precipitation and temperature The average rainfall is 30-60 inches The average temperature in temperate deciduous forests is 50°F (10°C). Summers are mild, and average about 70°F (21°C), while winter temperatures are often well below freezing.

Soil characteristics The soils upon which deciduous forests thrive are gray-brown and brown podzols. They are slightly acidic and have a granular humus layer known as mull, which is a porous mixture of organic material and mineral soil. Mull humus harbors many bacteria and invertebrate animals such as earthworms.

Plant adaptations Oaks, beeches, birches, chestnuts, aspens, elms, maples, and basswoods are the dominant trees in mid-latitude deciduous forests - vary in shape and height and form dense growths that admit relatively little light through the leafy canopy. Shrubs are found primarily near clearings and forest edges, where more light is available, and herbaceous flowering plants are abundant within the forest in the spring, before the trees come into full leaf.

Animal adaptations Animals have to adapt to changing seasons; must be able to cope with cold winters and hot summers. Some animals hibernate or migrate during the winter to escape cold. Animals who do not hibernate or migrate have special adaptations such as thick fur to deal with cold temperatures.

Specific locations  Most temperate, deciduous (leaf-shedding) forests are located in the eastern United States, Canada, Europe, China, Japan, and parts of Russia. occur between approximately 25 ° and 50 ° latitude in both hemispheres.

Special characteristics and sensitivities In deciduous forests there are five different zones. The first zone is the Tree Stratum zone. The Tree Stratum zone contains such trees as oak, beech, maple, chestnut hickory, elm, basswood, linden, walnut, and sweet gum trees. This zone has height ranges between 60 feet and 100 feet. The small tree and sapling zone is the second zone. This zone has young, and short trees. The third zone is called the shrub zone. Some of the shrubs in this zone are rhododendrons, azaleas, mountain laurel, and huckleberries. The Herb zone is the fourth zone. It contains short plants such as herbal plants. The final zone is the Ground zone. It contains lichen, club mosses, and true mosses.