Ess

the deciduous forest

Deciduous: falling off or shedding at a particular season or stage of growth

People come from all over to see the forests’ turning colors

North America: Atlantic Coast 95W30 – 45N

Europe: Atlantic Coast to 60W

East Asia: 30 - 60N. From Central Japan to 125E in the NW and 115E in SW

Ocean currents and wind are the most impactful abiotic factors

They affect rainfall

(About 30 -60 inches a year)

And temperature

(An average of about 50 degrees Fahrenheit)

Plants have adapted to this climate with broad leaves to collect sunlight, thick bark for harsh weather, layers, and leaves that fall off as weather drops.

Oaks Elms

Mosses Ferns

Animals have adapted to the environment by hibernating, storing food, growing winter coats, or migrating during the cold season

Many species cooperate with one another. Bees pollinating flowers in the spring or rodents who buried seeds in the ground as food for winter but forgot about them will grow into trees

Some animals, such as the bear and wolf have to compete for food. If humans introduce an invasive species, native species will also have to compete with the invasive one for food.

Timber Wolf

The timber wolf is one of the largest members of the dog family. Most wolves have gray fur, but may also be mixed with black, brown, and even white fur. Adult males vary from 75 - 120 pounds and grow to be 5 to 6 ½ feet long. They are about 2½ feet tall at the shoulder.  Timber wolves have sharp senses of hearing, smelling and sight. They can smell and see a deer from more than a mile away. 

Mate from January through March and gestate for about 9 weeks.Timber wolves give birth to 4-10 pups at a time.  The pups weigh about 1 pound each and are born blind.  In the wild, timber wolves can live from 7-10 years.

Timber wolves are a very adaptable species, and therefore they can live in a range of habitats such as mountains, tundra, deciduous forests, and grasslands.Today wolves are found in wilderness areas in Canada and Alaska and the eastern part of Europe (all the way to Siberia).  They are also found in the northern United States, along the Arctic shores, and in parts of Asia and China.  In smaller numbers, they may be found in the remote areas of Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy, India, and the Middle East.  A few may also be found in Scandinavia.In the United States, the population of timber wolves is increasing thanks to the fact that they became protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. There are no more than 5000 timber wolves in the lower 48 states.

The decreasing numbers of wolves are the result of encroachments on their territory by humans, who have regarded wolves as competitors for prey and as dangerous to livestock, pets, and people. However, very few wolves attack humans. There might be "some" isolated incidents, but which is usually the case in those, the wolf was only trying to protect itself from the invasion from the human. 

Humans take advantage of the nutrient rich soil of the forests for agriculture

Most of Asia has already depleted its deciduous forest habitat. This almost happened in the 1800’s in the U.S.

Without this biome, much of the Earth’s oxygen supply will be lost, land will erode, and we will lose the lands nutrient rich soil

Works Cited"Deciduous Forest Biome." Blue Planet Biomes. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. <http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/deciduous_forest.htm>."Temperate Deciduous Forest : Mission: Biomes." Earth Observatory. NASA, n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. <http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Experiments/Biome/biotemperate.php>."Temperate Deciduous Forest." Marietta. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2012.

<http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/tempded.htm>."Timber Wolf." Bear Country USA. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. <http://www.bearcountryusa.com/animals/animal_info.php?id=17>.