Forests

Coniferous Forest
Sub-artic regions of North America, Europe, and Asia Warm summers for 2-5 months Long cold, dry winters with little sunlight 40-200 cm precipitation per year Made of conifer trees produce seed bearing cones evergreens with needles

Adaptations for survival in the coniferous forest

Leaves on trees are needles to help conserve water and shed snow in winter Winter snow insulates and traps the heat underground protecting tree roots and small animals Animals have thick coats for the winter and migrate or burrow underground to escape the cold Old forest that have not been logged much due to weather conditions Limiting factors = nutrient poor soil, harsh winters, low light

Coniferous forests

Deciduous Forests
Forests whose trees lose their leaves in the fall In temperate zones with well defined seasons Wide temp range -30 deg C to 30 deg C 50 300 cm precipitation per year Trees go through growth season and dormant season
Loss of leaves in fall helps tree conserve water in winter

Various inhabitants of the deciduous forest

Species more varied than in coniferous forest 3 Distinct vegetation layers
Canopy highest layer, upper branches and leaves of tall trees, captures most of the sunlight Understory layer of young trees and small trees shrubs Forest floor mosses, ferns, decaying matter and organisms
Humus deep rich, layer of topsoil with organic matter (mostly dead leaves)

Human impact on deciduous forests

Once covered eastern US, Europe, Asia Deforestation for farms, orchard, and urban development (cities) Logging for hardwood and fuel Ecosystem is slow to regenerate when replanted

Rain Forests
Tropical zones near equator, long growing season and constant warm temps, 200-450 cm of rain per year Biome with dense canopy of evergreen, broadleaf trees supported by at least 200cm of rain per year Most diverse land biome

Rain forest biodiversity

Contains 70 % of all terrestrial (land) species on earth Covers only 6 % of earths land surface Holds 50% of earths land biomass

Rainforest Structure
Based on many different species of trees Canopy top of forest, leafy tops of trees 50-60 m tall, captures 99% of direct sunlight Under and Lower Canopy filtered sunlight Understory Forest floor sparse vegetation due to lack of light and nutrients
Rapid decomposition of dead things recycles nutrients quickly back into the trees making soil nutrient poor

Rainforest organisms
Trees have wide bases and shallow roots to take advantage of the thin topsoil
Buttresses ridges at the base of tree trunk

Epiphytes plants like orchids that live entirely on the tree trunk or limbs Arboreal organisms live in the trees, rarely touch the ground

Why is there so much diversity in the rainforest?

High plant diversity = high animal diversity Wide variety of habitats exist at different levels of the forest pg. 148

Threats to the rainforest

Deforestation rainforests used to cover 10% of earths surface, now only 6% Logged for export, farm land, grazing land, living space Infertility of soil causes it to only be useful for a short time and more land must be cleared Slow regeneration hundreds to thousands of years