A biome of the mid-latitudes, carrying four distinct seasons and enough year-round rainfall to sustain closed forest without the extreme cold of the boreal belt further north. Its defining and most visible feature is the broadleaf deciduous tree, which sheds its leaves each autumn in a display of color driven by the breakdown of chlorophyll, then regrows them each spring; many temperate forests also carry a mixed component of evergreen conifers. Temperate forests once covered most of eastern North America, Western Europe and much of East Asia before extensive clearing for agriculture and settlement, and California's giant sequoia groves are among the tallest and longest-lived examples of this biome anywhere on Earth.
Facts
Climate
Annual Precipitation (mm) Typical Low Temperature (C)The cited winter figure is a MEAN just below freezing; -10C here is a representative cold-snap figure below that mean, not the mean itself. Typical High Temperature (C)The cited summer figure is a MEAN of about 21C (70F); 28C here is a representative warm-day figure above that mean, consistent with this biome's wide day-to-day swings. Connections
Demonstrates
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Source National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Home To
Source American Black Bear (Wikipedia)
Source Blue Jay (Wikipedia)
Source Bobcat (Wikipedia)
Source Wikipedia: Oriental fire-bellied toad
Source Buzzing tree frog (Wikipedia)
Source Checkerboard worm lizard (Wikipedia)
Source World Wildlife Fund
Source Chinese thrush (Wikipedia)
Source Eastern Gray Squirrel (Wikipedia)
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Source Groundhog (Wikipedia)
Source Wikidata: Hypsizygus ulmarius
Source Laughing Kookaburra (Wikipedia)
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Source Wikipedia: Northern two-lined salamander
Source Wikipedia: Leucobryum glaucum
Source Quokka (Wikipedia)
Source Raccoon (Wikipedia)
Source Red Panda (Wikipedia)
Source Red-tailed Hawk (Wikipedia)
Source Southern Flying Squirrel (Wikipedia)
Source Sugar Maple (Wikipedia)
Source Superb Lyrebird (Wikipedia)
Source Wikipedia: Tarahumara salamander
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Sources
1. Deciduous Forest (Blue Planet Biomes)
Blue Planet BiomesDeciduous Forest - PrecipitationQuote, Deciduous Forest - Precipitation
The average rainfall is 30 to 60 inches (75-150 cm) per year.
View the Source 2. Deciduous Forest Climate (Blue Planet Biomes)
Blue Planet BiomesDeciduous Forest Climate - Summer Temperature
Most deciduous forests have mild summers averaging about 70 F.
Deciduous Forest Climate - Winter Temperature
Winter temperatures are fairly cool with an average temperature of a little below freezing.
View the Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.britannica.com/science/temperate-forest, opening definition paragraph
temperate forest, vegetation type with a more or less continuous canopy of broad-leaved trees. Such forests occur between approximately 25° and 50° latitude in both hemispheres.
- Home To: Yellowstone
- Home To: Monarch Butterfly
- Home To: Giant Sequoia
- Home To: Giant Panda
- Demonstrates: Decomposition
View the Source World Wildlife Fund
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationDemonstrates: Ice StormView the Source Wikipedia: Leucobryum glaucum
Home To: Pincushion Moss, Wikipedia intro: "deous mosses (Dicranidae) with a wide distribution in eastern North America and Europe. It inhabits temperate forests in the Northern Hemisphere, and its struct..."View the Source Wikipedia: Oriental fire-bellied toad
WikipediaHome To: Bombina Orientalis, Wikipedia intro: "g species found in northeastern Asia, where they primarily dwell in slow-moving bodies of water and temperate forests. Quite common throughout much of their ran..."View the Source Wikipedia: Northern two-lined salamander
Home To: Northern Two-lined Salamander, Wikipedia intro: "mander in the family Plethodontidae found in Canada and the United States. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, temperate shrubland, rivers, intermittent..."View the Source Wikipedia: Tarahumara salamander
Home To: Tarahumara Salamander, Wikipedia intro: "pecies of mole salamander in the family Ambystomatidae, endemic to Mexico. Its natural habitats are temperate forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane fore..."View the Source Checkerboard worm lizard (Wikipedia)
Home To: Checkerboard worm lizard, Wikipedia intro: "tant species within the genus Trogonophis, and is endemic to North Africa. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, te..."View the Source Chinese thrush (Wikipedia)
Home To: Chinese thrush, Wikipedia intro: "ird in the family Turdidae. It is found in China and far northern Vietnam. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane..."View the Source Buzzing tree frog (Wikipedia)
Home To: Buzzing tree frog, Wikipedia intro: "pecies of frog in the subfamily Pelodryadinae. It is endemic to Australia. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, subtropical or tropical swamps, swamps, i..."View the Source Tiger (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHome To: Tiger, Wikipedia 'Tiger': inhabits mainly forests, from coniferous and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests to tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forestsView the Source Raccoon (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHome To: Raccoon, Wikipedia 'Raccoon': original habitats of the raccoon are deciduous and mixed forestsView the Source Wikipedia: Koala
Home To: Koala, Wikipedia 'Koala': typically inhabit open Eucalyptus woodlandView the Source Groundhog (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHome To: Groundhog, Wikipedia 'Groundhog': contributor to soil health in woodlands and plainsView the Source Elk (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHome To: Elk, Wikipedia 'Elk': dwell in open forest and forest-edge habitatsView the Source Kiwi (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHome To: Kiwi, Wikipedia 'Kiwi (bird)': remaining habitat is well protected in large forest reservesView the Source Eastern Gray Squirrel (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHome To: Eastern Gray Squirrel, Wikipedia 'Eastern gray squirrel': native to eastern North America, a natural forest regeneratorView the Source Southern Flying Squirrel (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHome To: Southern Flying Squirrel, Wikipedia 'Southern flying squirrel': found in deciduous and mixed woods in eastern North AmericaView the Source Blue Jay (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHome To: Blue Jay, Wikipedia 'Blue jay': breeds in both deciduous and coniferous forestsView the Source Red-tailed Hawk (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHome To: Red-tailed Hawk, Wikipedia 'Red-tailed hawk': occupies a wide range of habitats including deserts, grasslands, coniferous and deciduous forestsView the Source Superb Lyrebird (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHome To: Superb Lyrebird, Wikipedia 'Superb lyrebird': found in forest in the southeast of AustraliaView the Source Sugar Maple (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHome To: Sugar Maple, Wikipedia 'Acer saccharum': native to the hardwood forests of eastern Canada and the eastern United StatesView the Source Laughing Kookaburra (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHome To: Laughing Kookaburra, Wikipedia 'Laughing kookaburra': occupies dry eucalypt forest, woodlandView the Source American Black Bear (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHome To: American Black Bear, Wikipedia 'American black bear': primarily inhabits forested regionsView the Source Red Panda (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHome To: Red Panda, Wikipedia 'Red panda': inhabits coniferous forests as well as temperate broadleaf and mixed forestsView the Source Quokka (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHome To: Quokka, Wikipedia 'Quokka': isolated populations exist in forest and coastal heath between Perth and AlbanyView the Source Bobcat (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHome To: Bobcat, Wikipedia 'Bobcat': inhabits wooded areas, semidesert, urban edge, forest edge, and swampland environmentsView the Source Wikidata: Hypsizygus ulmarius
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.