We explain what the deciduous forest is, where it is located, its flora, fauna and climate. Also, what factors can destroy it.
What is deciduous forest?
Temperate deciduous forests or simply deciduous forests, also known as aestisilva or estisilva, are those forests located in the temperate region of the planet. Are composed of plant species that lose their leaves during the fall in order to survive the winter and sprout during the spring.
That's where its name comes from: deciduousfrom Latin caducus“fall” and folium“leaved,” as opposed to evergreen or evergreen. This mechanism is nothing more than a biological adaptation that allows trees to maintain stable water levels since the loss of leaves prevents them from transpiration.
However, the fall of the leaves also has the effect of providing organic matter to the soil and increasing its fertility margins, which is why these forests are usually found on lands that are very rich in nutrients.
See also: Terrestrial ecosystem
Location of deciduous forests
Deciduous forests are distributed in different locations in both hemispheres of the planet. The relief in which they usually occur is diverse, both plain and mountainous.
They are found in much of Europe (western, central and eastern), of western Asia, the east coast of North America and swathes of southern Chile and southeastern Australia.
Deciduous forest flora
The typical species of the deciduous forest are usually broad, flat-leaved trees such as oak, birch, beech, poplar, elm and maple. Its slender and domed crowns usually reach 30 meters in height easily, with hard, smooth and brown bark.
Smaller plant species are found in the undergrowth such as lichens, mosses, ferns, wildflowers and other small plants, with a medium level of shrubs of various types.
Deciduous forest fauna
Like plants, deciduous forest animals are adapted to changing climate and to the marked stations. When the cold arrives, some species resort to defense mechanisms such as:
- Hibernation It consists of isolation in its burrow waiting for spring to arrive.
- Migration The mass movement towards warmer areas to return when the cold has passed.
Likewise, the animals of the deciduous forest are distributed throughout the vegetation strata being able to remain in the undergrowth or high up in the branches for entire periods.
Thus, while the fallen wood provides shelter to salamanders, toads and other amphibians, migratory birds such as geese, woodpeckers, raptors, hawks, columbids, strigiformes and pheasants remain high above.
Reptiles are less common in this forest during the cold season, however raccoons, cattle, goats, porcupines, felines, canids and beavers are common. There is a good representation of snakes, too.
Deciduous forest climate
They are typical of the humid continental climate, as well as the maritime climate in Western Europe. Average temperatures are always recorded above 0 °C, abundant and well distributed rains throughout the year, without periods of aridity that harm the development of plants.
On the contrary, there is an excess of water that the soil is not able to absorb and waterlogs the low areas. This climate has its four very well defined seasons with very well differentiated biological activity.
Destruction of deciduous forest
The deciduous forest regions are of high interest for human colonization, given their fertile soil and valuable wood. Consequently, Indiscriminate logging and land reclamation have reduced entire forests to virtually nothing over the decades.
Trying to repair the damage done, there are wildlife reintegration and deciduous forest restoration programs in Europe, the United States and other regions.
References
- “Temperate deciduous forest” in Wikipedia.
- “Deciduous forest” in Icarito.
- “Deciduous forest, definition, location, climate, characteristics” in Decologia.info.
- “The temperate deciduous forest” (video) on Flippedclassroom.
- “Deciduous vegetation” in Junta de Andalucía (Spain).
