You'll find this biome in the eastern half of North America, middle of Europe, many areas in Asia such as parts of Russia, Japan, and eastern China. Also, southern Chile and Middle East coast of Paraguay and New Zealand and southeastern Australia.
Climate:
These areas have four distinct seasons winter, spring, summer and autumn. The average temperature is about 50° F which is about 10° C and the average rainfall is 30-60 inches or 75-150 cm per year. Winter is the cold and frosty season, spring the warm and breezy, summer the hot and humid and autumn the cool and breezy. There is also about a 6 month growing season.
Types of Animals:
American Bald Eagle:
The Bald Eagle has gotten many adaptations, but its most significant is its bony overhang over their eyes which helps shade out the sun and protect them from potential eye injuries.
American Black Bear:
The Black Bears coat helps them a lot in the winter with the cold weather and there claws are just the right length to help them climb many trees.
Coyote:
They are very intelligent animals making it very easy to adapt to anywhere they go, there ears and smell are very sharp.
Duckbill Platypus:
They have adapted webbed feet and a flat tail they use to swim and thick fur to keep them dry and warm.
Eastern Chipmunk:
The Chipmunk has a special cheek pouch which helps them carry food that they take to store which they save for the winter so they can eat it and survive in the winter months.
European Red Squirrel:
In order to survive they have to eat seeds, but also rely on bird eggs because lots of their habitat is being destroyed by larger squirrels.
Fat Dormouse:
There big bushy tails help them keep their balance while climbing tree branches and they use there whiskers to navigate during the night.
Least Weasel:
Weasels have a very great sense of smell, but there coat in the winter turns color to pure white to blend in with the snow.
White-tailed Deer:
Its coat changes color during different seasons and it helps them blend in with undergrowth, also they alert each other when there is danger near, they have very good hearing and eyesight.
Most the animals use all the plants and trees for either food, supply or shelter and almost all of them hibernate during the winter season. Also, most of the animals are camouflaged.
Types of Plants:
American Beech:
This plant likes bottom land for its shallow root system, its leaves prevent things from growing around its roots.
Carpet Moss:
Like its family member Arctic moss it can survive really cold winters and grows well with water that they absorb through pores that are always open and require constant moisture.
Common Lime:
The wood on the tree is white smooth and close grained and is very light and cant be eaten by worms.
Guelder Rose:
Its berries are very bright which attracts birds that help transport its seeds and some of the flowers are able to self-pollinate. It will also take over other shrubs areas.
Lady Fern:
They are a dominant plant that will grow outward in a circle formation and will take over and cover the forest floors.
Northern Arrowwood:
It prefers to grow alongside rivers and streams where it can quickly spread and grow berries faster.
Pecan:
These trees use the wind to help pollinate and uses a shallow root system and have flowers that hang down in tassels.
Shagbark Hickory:
This tree grows really well in well-drained soils and can grow in wet and dry areas, also they have leaves which are either smooth or hairy and grow up to 5-10 inches.
Tawny Milksap Mushroom:
These mushrooms produce spores that when released find a moist area to germinate and when germinated the spores sprout mycelia.
White Birch:
The White Birch doesn't like shade which usually mean its the first tree to grow back in places that have had fires or where trees have been cut down.
White Oak:
These oak trees can grow in almost every altitude and location whether wet or dry and when still a seedling they send a tagproot into the ground so during droughts it brings the tree water.
All of these plants have adapted by leaning closer to the sun in growth and soaking up nutrients in the ground.
Types of Soil:
The soil in this biome is very fertile, it makes for great farming land and helps plants and trees grow really well and helps making food here very easy.
Limiting Factors:
Its hard to adapt in this biome because of all the human impacts like man made forests, farms and lots of towns and cities which is depleting the amount of forests left. Also, with the four different seasons it makes it very difficult for plants and animals to adapt to every season. The terrain can very as well making it difficult to settle in and have great shelter/homes.
Human Impact:
Humans have impacted the deciduous forests lots by taking away there land to make farms and cities/towns. They have even created some man made forests in parts of Japan, but they make it harder for plants and animals to survive in. Animals have lost there homes to make way for humans homes. Also, some people are trying to save these forests, but poachers are trying to kill the animals inside the forests.
Bibliography:
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/deciduous_forest.htm
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