Forest Biome

Forest Biome One of the largest most ecologically complex systems Biological communities dominated by trees and woody vegetation Classified according to numerous characteristics

seasonality being the most widely used.

Three Distinct Groups:1. Tropical

2. Temperate

3. Boreal forests (tiaga) vary depending on zones climate

Requires abundance of soil & water Found in moist climates Temperatures require at least a warm season; if not warm year round

Today our forest biomes are being cut down, and at an alarming rate. Everyday, hundreds of species of plants and animals are disappearing from our planet.

Six Classifications

1. Low-Latitude Rainforest

2. Monsoon Forest

3. Subtropical evergreen forest

4. Midlatitude deciduous forest

5. Needleleaf forest1. Boreal

2. Coastal

6. Sclerophyll forest

Low-latitude rainforest

Geographic Location: Found in the equatorial and

tropical zone. Climate:

Warm/moist, subjective to mE/mT air masses

Area has high annual rainfall (over 80in)

Areas of equitorial location gives this area high avg. insolation/very little seasonal variation

Thunderstorms duration tends to be over small areas, intense and short lived

Low-latitude continued… Vegetation:

Due to streams flowing abundantly throughout the year river channels are lined with dense forest vegetation

A thick soil layer is formed by the decay and decomposition of rock to great depths, abundant rainfall and warm soil temperatures.

Products of this rainforest have economic value, containing important classes of foods such as: Root Crops Fruits

Animals: Contain a wide variety of animal species

Largest diversity of species of any life zone Estimated ½ of the worlds animal species live in these rainforests

25% of medicine derives from plants contained in the rainforests of this area

Human Impact in Low-latitude

Mostly affected by Human Influence in regards to: Farming Logging

Result = diminishing amount

of forestland Increase of

endangered animals

Geographical Location: South East Asia and Australia

At elevations below 1000 meters In Areas that experience monsoon climate

Climate: Seasonal pattern of rainfall Area contains a distinct dry season, which is when many trees lose their leaves Area also contains a season of rain, averaging at about 100 inches per year, this

is when major growth occurs Vegetation:

Contains smaller trees than those found in the rainforest, and have a more open canopy resulting in a closed forest at the floor, creating a “tropical jungle” beneath.

Deciduous Trees and Broadleaf Evergreen trees are some of the trees in this forest A diversity of plants are located here Well drained soils with dense and rich undergrowth

Monsoon Forest

Monsoon Forest Continued…

Animals: Elephants Spotted deer Leopards Tigers Variety of Squirrels Insects are not the majority in this forest

Human Influence: Monsoon forests like other forests are being

continuously stressed by human activities. Much of this deforestation results in the washing away of soil during monsoon season due to the trees no longer binding the soils, and often ending in mud slides. The lack of vegetation resulting from deforestation also diminishes the amounts of animals living in this area and eventually become infertile again depleting the amounts of animals in this area.

Subtropical Evergreen Forest Location

SE Asia Central America

20-30 degrees North latitude  Climate

25” precipitation inland and 100” precipitation in the coastal regions.

80-90 degrees F Plants

Coniferous Trees Pine & Eucalyptus Giant Sequoia

Animals Opossum Bats 

Affect by humans   Deforestation for agriculture and urbanization.

Midlatitude Deciduous Forest

Location Eastern portion of North America Europe Asia (esp. in Japan, East China, SW

Russia) S.Chile and Coastal Areas of

Paraguay Primarily btwn. 0-50 degress N lat.

Climate Moderate Annual temp. 50 degrees F Annual Rainfall 30-60” rain 4-6 Mo. Summer

Experience all four seasons

Deciduous Forest Biome 5 different zones

1. Tree Stratum zone1. Oak maple walnut, etc

2. 60-100’ high

2. Small tree and sapling Zone1. Young short trees

3. Shrub Zone1. Rhododendrons and mt. laurel

4. Herb Zone

5. Ground Zone1. Lichens and mosses

Plants: Tall trees such as oak, walnut and maple Wildflowers such as oxlip and bluebells

Impact by Humans Deforestation due to agricultural and urbanization growth Hunting and poaching of the animal life

Needleleaf forest ~ Boreal

Geographic Location Sub-arctic: North America, Europe, and

Siberia. Mountain ranges and high plateaus.

Span from East-West lat. 45*N to 75*N.

Climate Very cold long winters w/continuous

snow cover. Short cool summers provide most of the

precipitation However total precipitation generally low.

Greatest annual temperature range of all climates.

Needleleaf Forest ~Boreal

Vegetation Few species mostly evergreen

conifers N.A., Europe, and west Siberia-

spruce and fir North/central and eastern Siberia

dominated by larch.  

Animals deer, wolf, bear, moose.

Human influence Logging, clearing for settlement

and grazing, fire prevention.

Needleleaf Forest ~ Coastal

Location Pacific Northwest from

northern California to Alaska.

Heavy precipitation from orographic lifting, causing densest conifer growth.

Vegetation Cedar, spruce, Douglas fir

and giant redwoods, the world’s largest trees.

Sclerophyll Forest

Location Mainly on west coasts between

30* and 45* N/S. Baja California, Mediterranean,

Chile, South Africa, and Australia.

Climate Annual precipitation

varies widely per location

Winter – Most rainfall/moderate Summer – time of drought/ hot

 

Sclerophyll Forest

Vegetation Sclerophylls shrubs Trees with small leathery leaves Thick bark that are evergreen such as oak, pine and olive.

Animals Rodents, jackals, coyotes, goats.

Human influence Many Sclerophyll Forests have been destroyed completely

or reduced to woodlands.

Terrestrial Biome & Human Impact

In this map, human impact is rated on a scale of 0 (minimum) to 100 (maximum) for each terrestrial biome.

Works Cited

"Forest Biomes." World Biomes. 22 Jan 2002. 17 Nov 2008 <http://www.worldbiomes.com/biomes_forest.htm>.

"Map of the Human Footprint." Earth Observatory. 03 Mar 2003. NASA. 16 Nov 2008 <http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=3254>.

"Rainforest Animals." The Animal Spot. 2008. The Animal Network. 17 Nov 2008 <http://www.rainforestanimals.net/copyrightpolicy.html>.

Strahler, Alan, and Arhtur Strahler. Introducing Physical geography. 4th ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2006. ISBN 0-471-67950-X.

"The Forest Biome." University of California Museum of Paleontology. Berkely. 17 Nov 2008 <http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/forests.php>.