Coniferous Forest Wahoo! By Dr. Herskovits and Dr. Miller

You may be wondering, what is a Coniferous Forest? Hmm… “Forest whose principal trees are conifers-needles or scale-leaved trees, mainly evergreens, with cones.” (www.tncccalifornia.org/glossary/) “These are places where winters are very cold, summers do not last very long, and there is not much rainfall.” (www.recycle4schools.org.uk/ecodict_c.htm)

Location of our biome fo sho

Climatogram of our biome oh yeah (Statistics for Beaverlodge, Alberta, Canada)

What is the soil like in coniferous forests? The soil is poor and rocky Tree roots are shallow due to the condition of the soil The soil is acidic because few nutrients are released into it and it becomes toxic for many plants The acidity of the soil mobilizes soluble metals “Available soil moisture is high as a result of cool temperatures and low evapotranspiration rates. Mineral soils are generally thin and poorly drained.”

What does this type of soil mean? Not an ideal biome for farming Most of the vegetation is in the form of trees and shrubs “The soil in a coniferous forest contains variable amounts of humus derived from leaf and needle litter. The ‘pine’ needles decay to produce an acidic soil…Because coniferous trees retain their leaves all year, the coniferous forest floor does not receive the same amount of sunlight…Because of all the conditions, there are different and fewer wildflowers and plants that grow on the coniferous forest floor.”

5 Common Plant and Animal Species Living in a Coniferous Forest Yay! Plants Balsam fir tree White spruce tree Blueberries Labrador tea shrub White pine trees Evergreen trees Ferns Mosses Animals White tailed deer Fox Mice Owls Squirrels Skunks Weasels Moose Elk Birds Wolves Chipmunks Lynx

Food Web

An Example of a Symbiotic Relationship in Our Biome Trees in coniferous forests need to fix nitrogen from soil But the trees cannot do this without the help of a bacteria called Rhizobia The trees give the bacteria nutrients and the bacteria produce nitrogen for the tree through nitrogen fixation This is an example of mutualism!!

Biotic and Abiotic features of a Coniferous Forest For biotic features, see slide 5 Abiotic features: Climate: cold and dry, snowy winters and warm summers, temperatures below freezing for half the year The sun shines for only 6-8 hours a day in winter and 19 hours a day in the summer Rocks Soil

Human Impacts Carbon has been pumped into the atmosphere from fossil fuels The concentration of carbon dioxide is rising Clearcut logging Hunting and trapping Mining operations Road construction and urbanization

Environmental Damage Acid rain Rising levels of carbon dioxide are ruining the atmosphere Clearcut logging accelerates soil erosion, degrades wildlife habitat and leads to the loss of biodiversity Hunting and trapping reduce the population of fur-bearing animals Mining operations damage the biome because of the chemicals that are released

Possible Solutions to Environmental Damage Ban clearcut logging by voting into office candidates who support this legislature Decrease your use of fossil fuels For example, don’t set your thermostat above 68°F (put on a sweater!!) Send letters to your government representatives asking them to stop building roads through forests Lessen the demand for paper products (which lessens the need for logging!) Drive your car less=no more acid rain! Be careful when camping. With global warming, there are hotter, dryer conditions and manmade fires spread easily Never throw cigarettes out of car windows Reduce your use of wood products Stay informed about potential destructive operations Instead of moving to the suburbs to build a new home, look for an already built home in town. This will save wildlife habitats and the wildlife that live there.

Sources Cited http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Laboratory/Biome/bioconiferous.html www.tncccalifornia.org/glossary/ www.recycle4schools.org.uk/ecodict_c.htm www.lsb.syr.edu/projects/cyberzoo/coniferous.html www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/forsite/ncfbiome.htm http://curriculum.calstatela.edu/courses/builders/lessons/less/biomes/conifers/conifweb.html http://www.newforestsproject.com/english/treeed.html#Nitrogen%20Fixation%20and%20Legumes http://ths.sps.lane.edu/biomes/coniferous3/coniferous3.html www.inchinapinch.com/hab_pgs/terres/coniferous/c_forest.htm http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ritter/geog101/textbook/biogeography/biomes_northern_forest.html Miller, G. Tyler. Living in the Environment, Brooks/Cole: Canada, 2004