Table of contents

Introduction

Location/Climate

Animals

Plants

Abiotic Factors

Food Web

Threats

Conclusion

Glossary

Introduction

    The temperate forest is one of the main biomes taking over 25% of the world's forest area. The temperate forest is essential to people because it provides us with food to eat, timber to make paper, and oxygen to breathe in. It also helps absorb carbon dioxide that causes climate change. The temperate forest go through four seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.

Location / Climate

    Temperate forests can be found in eastern North America, northeastern Asia, and central and western Europe. In North America, the Eastern Deciduous Forest stretches from Florida to Maine along the east coast and as far west as Texas and Minnesota. Precipitation is distributed evenly. The growing season can be as long as 140-200 days.    

Animals

    There are a wide variety of animals living in the temperate forest. An example of an animal is squirrels/chipmunks. Both squirrels and chipmunks gather and store food such as nuts in the fall before winter when food becomes scarce. Those animals eat the stored food in colder months, such as December. They are one of the animals that stay active during winter.    

    Birds are not like squirrels/chipmunks. Unlike them, birds are sensitive to cold temperatures and would not be able to survive through winter. The birds migrate to warmer places annually. They return to the habitat when the temperature is warm again. The birds that migrate often go south from the north because they would find a warm area with abundant food sources. The birds do not migrate by themselves. They often migrate as a group.

    Though bears are at the top of the food pyramid, they do not go hunt and stay active in the winter like squirrels because bears hibernate. They grow thick furs that act as a jacket. When they limit their movement by hibernating, they use stored fat that acts as food to survive the winter. In North American temperate forests, you could find black bears, brown bears, and grizzly bears. 

    Many insects such as ants, flies, butterflies, and bees can be found in the temperate forest. Compared to other animals like bears and squirrels, insects are not strong enough to survive the winter. Before they die, the insects will lay eggs. Then after winter ends and spring comes, the egg will hatch.

Plants

    In a temperate forest, there are four types of trees. There is the Oak tree, Elm Tree, Ash tree, and the Beach Tree. In winter, the leaves will become dry, the color will change and, they will fall to the ground and die in the end. The tree will regrow the leaves. This is called a deciduous tree. There is another tree called the needled tree. Its leaves are shaped like pine cones. If there are lots of conifers, they are called coniferous.