Abiotic Factors
Temperate climates are not considered to have extremes of hot or cold, compared to deserts or polar regions. The average annual temperature in a temperate deciduous forest is 10°C (50°F). Weather changes throughout the year, however winters have short days with little sunlight. Summer days are long and sunny. The temperature in January might drop to –12°C (10F). In summer, it might be as warm as 27°C (81°F). The growing season lasts 140 to 200 days, or 4 to 6 months.
Temperate deciduous forests receive more rain annually than any other environment except rain forests. In winter, precipitation may fall as snow. Annual precipitation ranges from 75 to 150 centimeters (30 to 60 inches) a year.
Wind
Strong winds make branches and trees fall, beginning the decomposition process that returns nutrients captured in plants back to the soil. However, less noticeable winds are no less important. White trilliums, a small plant, rely on winds to spread pollen, fertilizing nearby plants.
But winds also pick up particles from exposed soil, spreading not only dirt, but any bacteria or fungal microorganisms that may be present in the soil. Long periods of strong winds can even be responsible for spreading disease through a forest.
Strong winds make branches and trees fall, beginning the decomposition process that returns nutrients captured in plants back to the soil. However, less noticeable winds are no less important. White trilliums, a small plant, rely on winds to spread pollen, fertilizing nearby plants.
But winds also pick up particles from exposed soil, spreading not only dirt, but any bacteria or fungal microorganisms that may be present in the soil. Long periods of strong winds can even be responsible for spreading disease through a forest.
Water
Water is nonliving, and plants and animals rely on it for survival. Whether falling on the forest plants as rain or drank by animals from a pond or slow-moving stream, life in the forest would not be able to survive without it.
Water is nonliving, and plants and animals rely on it for survival. Whether falling on the forest plants as rain or drank by animals from a pond or slow-moving stream, life in the forest would not be able to survive without it.
Temperature
Warm spring months ease the plants and animals back to life, encouraging animal reproduction with the development of new leaves and plants. The warmer summer months allow these animals long enough to raise their young, often allowing them to set off on their own prepared to fend for themselves by the fall. As the temperature starts to drop, the trees of the deciduous forest lose their leaves and go into a state of hibernation. This temperature cue is critical for the animals as well, some of whom begin storing food for the winter months while others gorge themselves in preparation for hibernation.
Warm spring months ease the plants and animals back to life, encouraging animal reproduction with the development of new leaves and plants. The warmer summer months allow these animals long enough to raise their young, often allowing them to set off on their own prepared to fend for themselves by the fall. As the temperature starts to drop, the trees of the deciduous forest lose their leaves and go into a state of hibernation. This temperature cue is critical for the animals as well, some of whom begin storing food for the winter months while others gorge themselves in preparation for hibernation.
Sunlight
All plants need sunlight to survive, and it is this basic building block of life that has formed much of the structure of the deciduous forest. Trees are encouraged to grow tall; the taller the trees, the more sunlight is available to the leaves of the canopy. Beneath these tall, established trees are a shorter layer, often close to the ground. These ferns and shrublike bushes tend to be varieties that thrive in shady conditions, as they have to survive on what sunlight makes it through the trees. In turn, many of the herbivores in the forest are species that have adapted to live on these smaller plants.
All plants need sunlight to survive, and it is this basic building block of life that has formed much of the structure of the deciduous forest. Trees are encouraged to grow tall; the taller the trees, the more sunlight is available to the leaves of the canopy. Beneath these tall, established trees are a shorter layer, often close to the ground. These ferns and shrublike bushes tend to be varieties that thrive in shady conditions, as they have to survive on what sunlight makes it through the trees. In turn, many of the herbivores in the forest are species that have adapted to live on these smaller plants.