There are many types of forest ecosystems and each kind of forest has its own plants and animals.
The different forests include the deciduous forests, the coniferous forests, and even the tropical forests.
These forests are homes to many different types of plants and animals.
Deciduous Forest
Deciduous forests are usually warmer than other forests and they make rain in the summer and it oftentimes snows in the wintertime.
There are many different trees that grow in a Deciduous forest such as oak trees, beech trees, maple trees, and more.
The interesting thing about trees in the Deciduous forest is that the trees lose their leaves in the fall months and then the leaves grow back when the weather gets warmer.
Other plants grow in the Deciduous forest and there are also shrubs. These plants help to provide the animals with food and shelter.
The trees of the deciduous forest have roots and the trees survive because the soil is rich and has a lot of nutrients.
The rainfall for a deciduous forest is around 30-100 inches each year and there is a lot of sunlight that reaches the plants and trees.
Animals and People of the Deciduous Forest
Most people that live in the forest biomes live in the Deciduous forest. The temperatures of the deciduous forests are temperate meaning that they are not too cold or not too warm.
Most deciduous forests are in climates that have seasons.
Many of the deciduous forest animals include bears, chipmunks, squirrels, bald eagles, moose, deer, and other animals that feed plants and animals.
The animals in the deciduous forest have learned to adapt, they grow thicker coats in the winter, and they hibernate when it gets too cold.
Some animals hide their food for when it will be too cold to find any.
Problems of the Deciduous Forest
Some problems that happen in the deciduous forest are lack of trees. People have cut down many deciduous trees in order to build homes.
These trees are protected for many animals and this has caused many wildlife to leave the forests in search of new homes.
Coniferous Forests
Coniferous forests grow in North America, Asia, and Europe and they are places that are mostly cool and snowy in the wintertime and warm and dry in the summertime.
Many of the trees that are found in the Coniferous forests are pines, fir and spruce trees.
Coniferous forests are also known to grow mosses and other low growing plants.
These plants are low to the ground because of the weather and most of them grow under the Coniferous trees.
Coniferous trees grow and they have cones. The cones help these trees to reproduce.
The cones of these trees fall off, but a coniferous tree never completely loses its leaves.
Coniferous trees have learned to adapt to the weather by growing waxy coatings, and by having needle-like leaves that do not need as much water.
The Coniferous forest gets around 140 inches of rain each year. The soil of the coniferous forest is not great soil and it has a lot of acid because of the hot and humid summers.
Animals of the Coniferous Forest
Some of the animals that live in the Coniferous forest are owls, deer, moose, beavers, woodpeckers and many insects and other birds.
These animals have learned to adapt by having fur that chances colors and learning to burrow when it is too hot or to hibernate.
Problems with the Coniferous Forest
Logging that is done by humans has caused animals to lose homes in the coniferous forest.
Mining operations are strong in these areas and it has caused the climate to change and animals to be forced to leave their homes.
Tropical Forest
Tropical Forests are forests that grow near the equator. They have many trees and the climate is warm and has lot s of rain.
Due to all of the rain, the trees grow very tall and so the sunlight has a hard time reaching the ground.
The climate of the tropical forest does not change much so with the rain and the hot temperatures it is a busy biome for animals, especially those that live in trees.
Animals of the Tropical Forest
The tropical forest is home to many insects and animals. Because the trees are so tall, most of the sunlight does not hit the ground so most plants that grow, grow in the trees.
The roots of the trees are wide, and the trees grow in layers, but the plants have poor nutrition because the trees take up most of the soil nutrients.
The largest numbers of animals live in the tropical forest because of warmth and constant water. Many of the animals are poisonous and they camouflage themselves.
Some of the animals of the tropical forest include venomous snakes such as the viper, frogs, lizards, insects such as stinkbugs, birds such as lorikeets, and monkeys.
These animals eat fruit from the trees and leaves and some insects. Spiders are also known to be in the tropical forests.
Some say that spiders are so big that they eat birds. Bats and other animals are oftentimes found in large numbers in the tropical forest.
Facts About Forests:
- Humans have been known to have cattle ranches in the tropical forest.
- The tropical rainforest is considered one of the most complex biomes.
- The average yearly rainfall for the tropical forest is 160 inches a year.
- The deciduous and coniferous forests have the most people because the temperatures stay at a comfortable level.
- There are not many plants that grow under a coniferous tree, most of the ones that grow are fungi.
- The forests help give the animals a habitat to live.
- Beavers use trees from the forest to make dams.
- Moose feed on water plants such as water lilies in the summer.
What Did You Learn?
- What type of forest has trees that have cones? Coniferous forests have trees that have cones.
- What type of forest is known to have the most animals? The tropical forest is the forest that has the most animals.
- Why do many plants not grow on the ground of tropical forests? Most plants do not grow on the ground in tropical forests because the sunlight does not usually reach the ground.
- What is one problem that forests have from humans? Most forests have the problem of cutting down the trees. Humans oftentimes cut down trees to build homes and to make businesses.
- What forest has trees that lose their leaves? The deciduous forests have trees that lose their leaves in the fall.
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