Jennifer
pd.6-Neyland/Butler
5/3/01
What is a Deciduous Forest?
• A deciduous forest
is a cool rainy area
• The trees lose
their leaves in fall
& re-grow them in
Spring
• Known for color
changing leaves
• Has 4 distinct
seasons
Environmental Conditions
• The Average temperature is 75
degrees although it can get up to 86
degrees
• Most of this forest is in NE America
• 2-5 ft. of precipitation a year
• Humidity is 60%-80%
• 6 month growing period
• Subtropical climate
Environment (cont.)
• Warm summers • Very rich soil
• Fairly short winters • Leaves fall in fall &
• Rainfall every month decay quickly in
of the year spring
• Trees change color • Daylight decreases
w/ season in fall
• Winds blow west- • 3/4 of these
east forests are in
• 30 diff. types of North America
trees.
Animals in the Forest
• Ant • Frog
• Beaver • Ocelot
• Black & brown bear • Muskrat
• Deer • Newt
• Dhole • Rabbit
• Fox • Raccoon
• Earthworm
More Animals
• Oppossum
• Porcupine
• Squirrel
• Turkey
• Weasel
• White tailed deer
• Skunk
Birds of the Forest
Bala Eagle Red-tailed
Hawk
Cardinal
The robin Ruffed Goose
Mallard duck
Woodcock
Turkey Cuckoo
Wren Tawny Owl
Spotted Woodpecker
Woodpigeon Buzzard
Adaptations
Claws
Night Vision
Long, sharp teeth
Long ears
Long tail
Strong, pointy beak
Stiff tail
Color
Biotic Substances
• Animals
– Carnivores-
ex.Ocelot
– Herbivores-
ex. Deer
– Omnivores-
ex. Bear
– Decomposers-
ex. Bear
Biotic Substances
• Plants-
– producers- ex. fern
– ex. Tree
– ex. Flower
– ex. Vine
Abiotic Substances
• Sun-
– Gives light for PHOTOSYNTHESIS
• Water-
– Animals drink it and cool off in it
– Habitat
– Replenished by PRECIPITATION
Abiotic Substances
• Soil-
– Habitat
– Everything grows on it
• Air-
– We breathe it.
– It is recycled in PHOTOSYNTHESIS
Human Intervention
• The graph at right 50,000
shows the number of 45,000
40,000
carnivores on one 35,000
deciduous forest
30,000
25,000
after human 20,000 Before
15,000
intervention
After
10,000
• People thought that
5,000
0
carnivores were killing Carnivores
in the
too many animals and forest
started killing them
Some Endangered Species
Panda Timber wolf
Eagle
Other bear species
Ocelot
Black Bear
Five Layers
• Tree Stratum- 60-100 ft. high, dominated
regionally by combinations of trees
• Sapling layer- Smaller trees or younger
species of taller trees
• Shrub layer- members of the heath family
• Herb layer- bloom in early spring
• Ground layer- layer of lichens, club mosses,
and true mosses
Trees
Chestnut
Oak
Elm Maple
Beech Hickory
Sweet gum
Basswood
Walnut
Food Chain
Grass
Producer
Bear Deer Ocelot
Omnivore herbivore Carnivore
Mushroom
Decomposer
The Ocelot
• A medium sized slim cat
• 1 litter 0f 2-4 born after a gestation
of 70 days
• Climbs well and silently
• Main food is small animals and birds.
• Ocelot population has declined
because of deforestation and human
intervention
Predators and Prey
• The rabbit will eat the grass
• The ocelot will eat the rabbit
• The ocelot will die
• Worms and mushrooms will eat the ocelot
My Sources Were
• “Ocelot.”www.enature.com
• “Temperate Broadleaf Deciduous
Forest Animal Printouts.”
www.enchantedlearning.com
• Allaby, Michael.Biomes of the World.
Vol. 6. Danbury: Grolier Educational,
1999.
• Mrs. Butler’s notes on Abiotic
Substances
Sources (cont.)
• Scheffel, Richard L. Nature in
America. Pleasantville: The Reader’s
Digest Association,19991.
• “Temperate Deciduous Forest Biome.”
www.fw.vt.edu
• Cuisin, Michel. Woods & Forests.
Morristown: Silverburdett company,
1979.
Conclusion
Although the deciduous forests are
shrinking because of deforestation
etc. these forests are still a place of
abundant life, beauty, and animals.