Temperate Deciduous Forest

Temperate broadleaf forests are a constantly changing biome. Temperate forests witness four seasons – spring, summer, winter and autumn. The summers in the region are hot and the winters are immensely cold. Temperate deciduous forests receive medium rainfall annually of about 60 inches. Precipitation in this biome occurs all year round and sometimes in the form of snow in the winter season. The soil is very fertile and hardwoods are suitable for construction, so this biome occupies some of the largest size in the world. The canopies of the deciduous forest are penetrative, with a wide variety of flora and fauna in the region.

Deciduous Forests

Deciduous forests are a type of forest where the trees predominantly lose their leaves at the end of the cycle of the growing season. This is in contrast to evergreen forests. Most trees remain green in evergreen forests because they shed their leaves at different times rather than in one season. In deciduous forests, there is a complete loss of leaves each season, followed by the production of new leaves. The term leaf means temporary or easy to fall.

Deciduous forests can be subtropical, temperate or tropical, depending on their geographic location. Temperate deciduous forests are found in western Eurasia, North America and Northeast Asia. Unlike temperate deciduous forest, the temperate evergreen forest is filled with evergreen flora and receives well-distributed rainfall throughout the year. 

Temperate Deciduous Forest

Temperate deciduous forests are biomes with many broad-leaved trees that shed their leaves in the fall. These forests are also known as deciduous forests because the trees have flat and wide leaves. The Temperate deciduous forests are usually located in the Earth’s mid-latitudes, between the tropics and the arctic. These biomes are exposed to warm and cold air masses, giving them four seasons – spring, autumn, winter and summer. As winter approaches and sunlight diminishes, leaf chlorophyll production slows down and eventually ceases, eliciting autumn’s bright yellow, red and orange colours. About 65.5 million years ago, when the earth began to cool, temperate forests began to form during the Cenozoic era. Tropical and subtropical forests are other types of deciduous forests.

The temperate broadleaf forests of the world are located in China, the eastern United States, Canada, Japan and Europe.

Temperate Deciduous Forest Vegetation

Trees such as birch, oak, aspen, beech, elm and maple grow in temperate deciduous forests. These tall trees form a canopy. The large tree protruding above the canopy is part of the sleeper layer. After the canopy, the next layer is undergrowth. This includes smaller tree species and younger trees that have not yet reached full height. The next shrub layer contains woody plants such as bushes and brambles that grow where there is sufficient light filtering through the canopy. 

Next is the herbaceous layer composed of soft-stem (herbaceous) plants such as wildflowers, ferns, and grasses. These plants must be shade resistant to live far below the forest. The last layer is the floor. This biome area has soil rich in moss, twigs, rotten leaves, and animal excrement, also known as litter. This is a temperate broadleaf forest recycling area. Earthworms, fungi, bacteria, and insects call it their home and their physical and metabolic processes continue to recycle. Recent studies have shown that reducing defoliation results in the rapid loss of carbon from the soil.

Fauna Of Temperate Deciduous Forest

Insects in the temperate deciduous forest include flies, ants,  bees, cicadas, moths, butterflies, wasps, mosquitoes, dragonflies, and praying mantis. Frogs, snakes, toads and salamanders are reptile habitats in temperate deciduous forests. Common birds found in this biome include robins, woodpeckers, jays, hawks, owls, cardinals, turkeys, and eagles. Small mammals in temperate broadleaf forests include beavers, otters, rabbits, monkeys, porcupines, raccoons and squirrels. Bears, moose, tigers, white-tailed deer, giraffes, elephants, pandas, leopards and humans are the larger mammals that live in this biome.

Temperate deciduous forests have a food web consisting of several nutrient (food) levels. At each trophic stage, some organisms play the same role in the food web. They also share the same energy source. At the lowest levels, the soil is full of bacteria, earthworms and fungi (called decomposers), nourishing higher levels of organisms. 

Second-level primary producers use these nutrients and sunlight to generate energy through photosynthesis. Primary consumers, primarily herbivores, consume primary producers in the lower nutritional stages at the next level. The primary consumer then provides energy to the next level of secondary consumers (carnivores and omnivores). 

The top levels of the nutritional food web are home to the best carnivores, also known as tertiary consumers. In addition,  more complex food webs may have quaternary nutritional stages. The food web ends when the upper animal has no natural enemies.

Climate Of Temperate Deciduous Forest

The temperate deciduous forest temperature ranges from negative 22° F (-30o celsius) to positive 86° F (30o celsius). The average annual rainfall is about a minimum of 30 inches and a maximum of 60 inches, with additional rainfall as snow. Temperate deciduous forests require at least 120 days without frost. Temperate deciduous canopies allow sunlight to penetrate the floor. This gives rise to a wider variety of plants and animals than tropical or subtropical deciduous forests, where both forests have dense canopies.

Conclusion

Temperate deciduous forests are of great ecological importance. They help reduce erosion from trees that stabilise the soil. Deciduous forests provide habitat and food for many animals, including migratory tundra birds. Forests help maintain biodiversity, regulate the region’s climate, and produce oxygen. This helps stabilise weather patterns and reduce the impact of greenhouse gas emissions on the atmosphere. As a result, forests indirectly regulate stream flow and temperature. It supports nutrient circulation and soil formation, creating healthier soil for the plants that inhabit it.