Forest Biomes

http://edu.glogster.com/media/4/22/88/3/22880320.jpg

By:Jackson Dell'Abate, Kara

Kalinski, Kristen Moy, Maggie Sweeney, Deidre D'Amico

Arctic Forest  - Also known as Coniferous Forest - Conifer Trees: Cones and needles- Cold, windy regions around poles - Soil poor in nutrients - Plants and animals must adapt to cold climate - Cover huge areas- Fewer types of plants and animals than any other forest  

http://www.google.com/imgresq=coniferous+forest+biome

http://www.google.com/imgresq=coniferous+forest+biome

Threats!!- Exploration and development of oil and natural gas reserves- Global warming- Deforestation- Clear cut logging (degrades wildlife habitat!)- Plant and animal extinction these all lead to........

Loss of Biodiversity!!Fewer unique species in these specific forests

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=biodiversity&hl=en&biw

Arctic Forest

Biodiversity: PlantsRedwoods - Tallest living trees- Takes 400-500 years to mature- Thick bark is fire resistant          - Contains natural wood preservative, therefore very resistant to disease

                   www.google.com/images?q=redwoods/um 

Spruces - Reaches ages of 600-800- Grows into cone like shape- Provides shelter to squirrels and rodents

http://img.search.com/thumb/8/81/Picea_abies.jpg/240px-Picea_abies.jpg

 

Biodiversity: AnimalsElk Bull - Six-pointed antlers that shed annually- Uses sense of smell to detect danger- Grazers and browsers- Differs from a deer in that it's neck has shaggy hair

                                                                                                                                                                             

http://www.nationalparks.org/explore/visitor-stories/photos/ElkBullRest.jpg

http://images.pictureshunt.com

Lynx - Winter coats are gray color with black hairs- Summer reddish or gray-brown color- Thick fur on enlarged feet so don't sink into snow- Hide, stock and ambush prey using coniferous features- Carnivore      

Montane Forests

                    Aka "cloud forests"

- Receives most precipitation in the form of mist or fog - Grow on mountains, elevation of montane forest life zones ≈ 8,000 to 10,000 ft above sea level.- Cooler temperatures - Includes high altitude, grasslands and shrub lands 

                                    

                                                                        

        http://www.google.com/imgres?q=montane+forest&num

Biodiversity of Montane ForestsSome have better adaptations than others!- Difficult to survive cold wintersSnowshoe Harehttp://exhibits.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/larson/lepus_americanus.html

(year round species)Lewis' Woodpeckerhttp://sdakotabirds.com/species/lewis_woodpecker_info.htm

(migrates south)Aspen Treeshttp://www.art.com/products/p12887047-sa-i2052750/greg-gawlowski-aspen-trees-near-mcclure-pass-in-gunnison-national-forest-gunnison-colorado-usa.htm

(reproduce easily)

Temperate Forest: Deciduous Forest

- About 6 million square feet- Drop leaves in winter, grow back in spring- Summers warm, winters mild- Precipitation falls evenlythroughout year- Found mainly in:• Europe• North America• Asia

 http://www.google.com/imgres?q=deciduous+forest

Deciduous Forest PlantsOak Tree - Very adaptable to different regions and conditions- All species grow an acorn or nut with scaly cap- Known for excellent timber                                                                                        

Maple Tree- Dense and fibrous root system- Branches spread horizontally and form rounded head when maturehttp://www.google.com/imgres?q=deciduous&hlhttp://www.google.com/imgres?q=deciduous&hl=en&sa

Deciduous Forest Animals

Blue Jay- Eats plant matter and insects- Known for aggressive behavior- Loud, harsh voices

Raccoon- Hunt rodents, birds, berries and plant matter- Live in dens made in hollow trees

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=blue+jay

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=raccoon+in+forest+during+autumn

Temperate Forest: Temperate Rainforests

- Tall conifers covered in moss- Trees grow most of the year- Average tree is:• 260 ft tall • Trunks 6-10 ft in diameter

- Still and quiet, animals stay hidden- Massive root systems that helps to hold the trees up in the thin soil- Hot, wet conditions, perfect for plants to grow

http://www.google.com/searchq=temperate+rainforest

http://www.google.com/imgresq=temperate+rainforest

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=temperate+rainforest+raining

Temperate Forest: Temperate Rainforests

Douglas Fir- Species of evergreen trees- Needles allow them to photosynthesize year round - Hold moisture for ground dwelling plants 

Mosses - Very common- Mainly grow as epiphytes - Moist environments helps reduce water stress on plants without roots

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=douglas+fir+tree+forest

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=tree+moss+in+temperate+rainforest

Temperate Forest: Temperate Rainforests

Slugs- Shell less gastropods- Humid environment prevents dessication - Trail of slime helps it crawl and protects its underside

Pacific Giant Salamander- Largest terrestrial salamander- Endangered - Feeds on mammals and other amphibians

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=temperate+slugs&um

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=temperate+salamander&um

Tropical Rainforests

- Most productive biological communities in the world- Largest, lushest, and most biologically diverse of the remaining tropical forests in the Amazon - Rainfall 160 inches per year, falls at an even rate- Forest floor is dark, humid, quiet, and rather open.

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/images/rainforest.jpg http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/images/rainforest_location_map001.gif

Biodiversity: Animals       Yellow-Banded Frog             http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3230/3144812975 

- Columbia and Venezuela- Skin contains toxins derived from ants eaten - Skin remains moist because of rainforest climate• characertistic of

ampibians      

           Rainbow Lorikeets         http://www.wettropics.gov.birds/RainbowLorikeet.jpg

- Eastern & Northern Australila- Brush-tipped toungue to sip nectar- Feet desgined so they can eat and stand on branch similtanuously

Biodiversity: Plants

           Banyan Trees      

http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/mlodzs/BanyanTree 

- Native to tropical Asia- Produce arieal roots that grow from branches• when reach

ground, becomes new trunk     

        Rafflesia Arnoldi                      http://cdn.indonesia.travel/media/images

- Fungus not flower- Cannot produce own food• lives like parasite 

- Steals H2O & nutrients from other plants - Smells rotten- Attracts flies  

Forest Fires

- Human’s cause second most forest fires behind lightning- Example: 2003 California forest fire- Destroyed over a 1/2 million acres of forest- Killed 22 people, destroyed 48,000 homes and buildings- $500 million in damages 

http://digitalforestfire.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/forest-fire_1076.jpg

http://www.learnnc.org/lp/media/collections/cede/Old_fire.jpg

However...

- Forest fires aren't always bad for environment.- Ash = fertalizer for new types plant life- Ash creates "habitat favorable to a much wider variety of species of wildlife that could not grow in the shade under the canopy."

http://www.treehugger.com/forest-fire-aftermath.jpghttp://farm4.static.flickr.com/3578/3557063205_d14900858d.jpg

- Still too many preventable human caused forest fires- Many anti-forest fire campaigns but fires are still one of the biggest threats to forests- "Only YOU can prevent forest fires"

In Conclusion

http://www.mtmultipleuse.org/fire/images/smokey.jpg http://www.wowktv.com/images/080909114639_smokey-the-bear-classic1.jpg

Deforestation- Biggest threat - Only 6% of Earth is covered by rainforests- Predicted all rainforests will be gone in 100 years- Soil is poor and streams dry up in the hot season

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/95/233523196_a4abdd1b24.jpg

http://www.mongabay.com/images/peru/aerial-rainforest/Flight_1022_1551.JPG

http://www.northforkfriends.com/page15.html

Reasons for Deforestation- Illegal logging- Large areas of forest, cleared to create grasslands- Flooring and furniture- Power plants cut and burn wood - Paper industry - Farmers clear for cropland

http://www.cites.org/I/news/mahogany_big.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ar5FEehJB5c/S9pe10IinoI/AAAAAAAAABY/kcoQY63tGQU/s1600/clear-cutting-21135550.jpg

http://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/5308/5308,1163497578,1/stock-photo-roll-of-paper-in-a-paper-factory-2167344.jpg

     Effects

Who causes this?- Short-sighted governments - Multi-national logging companies- Land owners- Each second, an area the size of two football fields is destroyed• Each year, 17 million acres are cut

down• Global warming• Reduced Biodiversity• Flooding• Soil Erosion

http://www.einfopedia.com/what-are-the-repercussions-of-deforestation.php

http://sustentator.com/blog-en/tags/deforestation/

Conclusion

-Humans leading reason for damage to forests-If we continue destroying them at this rate, forests will eventually die out-We must do everthing possible to keep these forests alive 

http://saveamericasforests.org/_borders/bottom7.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ROpqhDr-45A/TRLYuMQiCHI/AAAAAAAAAE4/59TGvq_Ryi4/s1600/smokey-the-bear.jpg http://images.wikia.com/southpark/images

/2/26/Woodsy.jpg

Works Consulted"Deciduous Forest." UXL Encyclopedia of Biomes. Ed. Marlene Weigel. Detroit: UXL, 2009. Gale Science In Context. Web. 19 Oct. 2011.  Earth Matters by David De Rothschild http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/rainforest-threats.html "Forest, Boreal." Biology. Ed. Richard Robinson. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2009. Gale Science In Context. Web. 19 Oct. 2011.

http://old.nationalreview.com/swan/swan200401120828.asp

http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/scic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Reference&disableHighlighting=false&prodId=SCIC&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CCV2641800003&mode=view

http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/temprain.htm

Temperate Forests by Michael Allaby; 2006  "Tropical rain forest." Environmental Encyclopedia. Gale, 2011. Gale Science In Context. Web. 19 Oct. 2011 “Tropical Forests” by Tom Jackson. 2003.

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