Temperate deciduous forest

The Temperate deciduous forest is a biome found in the eastern United States, Canada, central Mexico, southern South America, Europe, China, Japan, North Korea and parts of Russia. A temperate deciduous forest consists of trees that lose their leaves every year. Some of these trees include oak, maple, beech, and elm. The temperate deciduous biome can be found on almost every continent

Animals and their adaptations

Many well-known animals live in this kind of forest. Some examples are bears, beavers, foxes, deer, rats, snakes, mice, and large birds of prey like red-tailed hawks. These animals have unique adaptations suited for seasonal life. For example, animals like bears and some rodents store up fat, and then hibernate during the cold winters. Red winged blackbirds, fish and others migrate to the south to escape temperatures that are sometimes below zero.

Plants and their adaptations

The plants of this biome must be very well adapted to survive in these conditions. For example, trees like the beech, white spruce, and the elm have leaves that absorb water and sunlight. This way, the soaring branches do more than just provide shade for other creatures of this biome, they also provide nutrients necessary for the tree to live. The other adaptation that these trees have is that they shed their leaves in the winter. By shedding their leaves, trees avoid carrying much of the weight in snow that would otherwise fall on them.

Human effects

Humans have often colonized places in the temperate deciduous forest, as well as harvesting the wood for timber. As a result, less than a quarter of the original forests are left.

ee also

* Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests

External links

* [http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/images/veg_map_small.gifA map of biome distribution] (Temperate Deciduous Forest is in dark green)