Temperate Deciduous Forest
By Mary Caroline Glaze
Biome
Abiotic Factors
Biotic Factors
Many types of animals live in deciduous forests including bears, wood mice, deer, raccoons, squirrels, skunks, bobcats, coyotes, mountain lions, and other types of birds, reptiles and insects.
Squirrels have developed a behavioral adaptation by storing their food and retrieving it later. They store nuts and seeds while there are many of them in the summer, and in the winter they burry them or put them in hollows of trees.
The oak tree has developed a physical adaptation to preserve energy during the colder months. When temperatures cools and sunlight isn't abundant, it cuts off the water supply to the leaves and seals off the area between the leaf stem and tree trunk. Without being able to carry out photosynthesis, leaves can't produce chlorophyll. This changes the leaf color to red, orange, and yellow during the fall.
Community Interactions
- Primary producers: deciduous trees, shrubs, grasses
- Primary consumers: raccoons, wood mice, deer, birds
- Secondary Consumers: owls, skunks, foxes
- Tertiary Consumers: bears, coyotes, bobcats
Importance
Human Impacts
Sources
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Photos
Ferris, B. (2014, November 25). BLM Says No to Predator Killing Contest on BLM Lands. In Cascadia Wildlands. Retrieved February 11, 2016, from http://www.cascwild.org/tag/coyotes-2/
Viau, E. A. (1999). A Deciduous Forest Energy Pyramid. In World Builders. Retrieved February 11, 2016, from http://www.world-builders.org/lessons/less/biomes/deciduous/decpy.html
Matera, S. (Artist). (2015). Deciduous Forest in autumn in the upper penisuls of michigan. [Image of painting]. North Carolina; Natural Landscape Photography. Retrieved from http://www.stephenmatera.com/shades-of-green/
Valentine, J., Wald, C., & Wydra, N. (Artist). (2005). Grizzly Bear. [Image of painting]. Retrieved from http://ths.sps.lane.edu/biomes/deciduous3/deciduous3.html
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