Rebecca and Taylor AP Environmental Science 4 th period

Location Deciduous forests can be found in the eastern half of North America, and the middle of Europe. There are many deciduous forests in Asia, South America, New Zealand, and southeastern Australia also.

Climate The latitude range is anywhere from 23 ° north to 38 ° south. It has four distinct seasons; spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Almost all of the world's deciduous forest is located by an ocean. The average annual temperature in a deciduous forest is 50° F. The average rainfall is 30 to 60 inches a year.

Climatogram

Producers in the Forest The American Beech tree grows in the southern and eastern parts of the United States. It grows in deciduous forests all over Maine and northern Massachusetts. It grows best in deep, rich, moist, well- drained soils. Carpet moss grows in eastern North America and Europe. In the spring the carpet moss is golden green, and turns dark green as it gets older. They can live in a wide variety of habitats, but are most often found covering the ground, growing on stream beds, and on the base of trees in deciduous woodlands.

Producers in the Forest The common lime is a tall, stately tree, which grows in the deciduous forests of Europe, the British Isles, and the USA. The common lime can live up to 500 years. The tree can grow to a height of ft (25 m). The lower branches arch out, giving the tree an upside-down pyramid look. The Guelder Rose prefers to grow at low altitudes and in semi-shade in Scotland and England. It is native to the woodlands of the European deciduous forest. It is found at the edges of woods, hedgerows and marshes. It grows in both heavy clay and acidic soil.

Producers of the Forest Lady Fern is a deciduous, perennial fern about 24 to 36 inches tall that grows in the wild, especially in deciduous forests and the taiga of North America and Eurasia. (Left) The White Oak tree can grow from 80 to 100 feet tall with a lifespan of 500 t0 600 years old and has bark that’s whitish gray. (Right) The fruits of the Arrowwood are fleshy and blue-black in color about 1/2 inch across. They are a favorite food of Ruffed Grouse and chipmunks. Deer love to eat the leaves and stems. The plant blooms from May to June. The leaves and flowers grow on the top of long shoots.

Consumers of the Forest The Bald Eagle’s climate affects its reproduction. The Bald Eagle tends to breed during the winter in the south, and during the spring in the north. It raises its family in large nests that are usually built near water. The American black bear has claws that are adapted to its environment; they are just the right length to climb trees that surround its forest home. They will eat virtually anything, but 75% of its diet is made up plants and other vegetation, while the other 25% is made up of, carcasses, honey, small mammals and insects.

Consumers of the Forest Coyotes can live almost anywhere. They now live in most of North America and Central America. They are controlled by an open hunting and trapping season. The coyote is protected in 12 states in the US. The duckbill platypus lives in the deciduous forests of Australia. They use their venom as protection. The platypus lives along streams and river beds. It burrows one entrance underwater and another one above water so that it has two entrances to its burrow.

Consumers of the Forest Eastern Chipmunks live in forests and are also found around suburban and rural areas. They like to make their burrows in stone walls and rotting logs. (Left) The European red squirrel lives in the European Deciduous Forest. This Forest has 4 seasons. It is cold in the winter and very warm in the summer. (Right) The white-tailed deer lives in farmlands, brushy and forested areas in most of southern Canada and except for two or three states in the west, all of the mainland United States. They also range throughout Central America to Bolivia.

Human Effects and what’s being done to Protect this Biome The animals are hunted illegally, which upsets the overall balance within this particular biome. The deciduous forest biomes continue to be cut down. The trees from these areas are used for construction, firewood, and plenty of other materials that we use all the time. Many of these forest areas are also cleared away so that farmland can be used for growing foods. We need to conserve these environments because: We rely on the oxygen from the trees The animals and plants that are found there will die Efforts like educating the public about what their actions cause are being done!

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