Deciduous forests contain trees that shed their leaves. Deciduous forests are found globally in all of the continents except Antarctica. Deciduous forests are most commonly found in eastern US, Europe, western Asia, parts of Australia, and Canada. The focus of this Web page is the deciduous forest in Europe, primarily the country of France.
The Deciduous forest has a temperate climate and defined seasons. In this forest there is 75-125 centimeters of rainfall each year. The deciduous forest biome changes seasons by the position of the sun and rotation of the Earth. This causes the sun to be warming one portion of the Earth more than others.
Many organisms from the five kingdoms dwell within the deciduous forest. From the kingdom Plantae there are oak (genus species: Macrorhynchus ferruginus ), maple, beech (genus species: Phyllaphis fagi ), and birch trees. From the kingdom Fungi there are mushrooms surviving in the forest. From the kingdom Monera there are many types of bacteria. From the kingdom Protista there is paramecium, which lives within ponds and lakes in the forest. These organisms have found there home in the deciduous forest.
There are lots of animals that inhabit the deciduous forests like chipmunks, tree frogs (genus species: Rana sylvatica ) , deer, ducks (Anas platyrhynchos ), bears, beavers, and cottontail rabbits. All six of those species are vertebrates. Their phylum is Chordata. Dear, bears, beaver and rabbits are all mammals. Frogs are amphibians and ducks are aves. More vertebrates are from the class aves (they are birds) and from the class amphibia (they are frogs and toads). An example of invertebrates are slugs and snails from the phylum Mollusca and the class gastropoda. Another examples of the invertebrates are from the phylum Arthropoda and the are from the subphylum Chelicerata, these organisms are spiders, ticks or mites.
Bears are animals which live in the deciduous forest. The are adapted to the environment and the rapidly changing seasons. They have brown fur for warmth and camouflage. They also have the ability to store food for hibernation during the cold winters. The oak has adapted to the forest by shedding its leaves in the fall and regrowing them in the spring.
Human activity is threatening the environment of the temperate deciduous forests. The soil is enriched by the humus on the ground level of the forest. Therefore the soil is excellent for farming and many trees were cleared to make room for farmland. Also, many species have been close to extinction because of over hunting. The situation is improving and many animals and plants are returning to their natural habitat.
An example of symbiosis in the forest takes place between plants and animals. The tall trees serve as a home for the birds of the forest. The canopy protects them from predators and harsh winds. The trees also grow berries and seeds for the birds to eat. This is an example of commensalism because the animals benefit but the trees are not effected.
The deciduous forest of France is a rich and active habitat. The organism that live within this biome are adapted to their home. Whether the organism is a plant, animal, monera, fungi, or protist each organism lives and is adapted to the deciduous forest biome.
