An Introduction of the Deciduous Forest
As we all know, forests are quite important to the earth and to human beings. They can produce oxygen, clean the air and provide a suitable place for animals to live in and for plants to grow. The deciduous forest is one of the beautiful natural sceneries in the world. In this article I will give you a brief introduction of deciduous forests.
Distribution
The temperate forests distribute quite widely on the earth so that you may find them almost on every continent. Many of the forests locate in the eastern half of North America. In Asia, we can also find some deciduous forests and the major areas include Japan and eastern China. There are also many these forests locating in South America, such as in southern Chile and Paraguay.
Climate
The four seasons, spring, summer, autumn and winter, are quite different in the deciduous forests. It’s warm and sunny in the first two seasons when the plants grow fast. In autumn, the leaves of the plants change color. During the whole winter time, all the leaves drop from the trees. The average temperature there in the forests is approximately 50 degrees F. It rains a lot in a year and the average amount of precipitation there is about 30 to 60 inches.
Animals
There are various species living in the biome forests and all the livings there form a harmony ecosystem. The animals living there are quite adaptable to the climate. Because of the cold weather and the lack of food, most of them will hibernate to spend the whole winter. The trees are the sources of food and water for the animals. The deciduous forest is really a comfortable place for these animals.
Plants
The kinds of trees in the regions of deciduous forests include both broadleaf, deciduous trees and evergreens. Basically, the number of layers of plant growth in a temperate forest is usually 3 or 4. The top layer of plant growth is mainly made up of tall deciduous trees which stop most of the sunlight shining through. However there is still sunshine reaching the forest ground and this provides conditions for plants of other layers to grow. In the second layer there are many species of trees which are a little shorter. The shrubs are usually included in the third layer. With the effect of warm sunlight in the first two seasons: spring and summer, the herbs grow quite quickly and flourishingly.