Temperate deciduous forests
Read the following information about the temperate deciduous forest then answer the questions below.
Climate and distribution
Plant and animal adaptations
Deciduous forests are found in many areas across the globe. They are
found across the middle of Europe and in the eastern half of North
America. There are also many deciduous forests across Asia, mainly
south west Russia, Japan, and eastern China. There are two big areas of
deciduous forests in South America: southern Chile and the middle east
coast of Paraguay. There are deciduous forests located in New Zealand
and south eastern Australia.
Animals adapt to the climate of the deciduous forest by hibernating in
the winter and living off the land in the other seasons. Animals have
adapted to living in the forest by trying the different plants to see if
they are good to eat and a good food supply. The trees also provide
shelter for the different animals. Animals use the trees for food and a
water source. Most animals are camouflaged to look like the ground.
There is an average annual temperature of 10°C in deciduous forests
and an average rainfall of 75 to 150cm a year. The deciduous forest has
four distinct seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. In the
autumn the leaves change colour and during the winter months the
trees lose their leaves altogether.
The plants have adapted to the forests by leaning and growing toward
the sun. Soaking up the nutrients in the ground is also a way of
adaptation. They do this using their root systems.
A lot of deciduous forests have lost land to farms and towns; therefore,
animals are losing their homes. Although people are trying to protect
the forests some poachers are trying to kill the animals in the forests.
Structure of the forest
There are five different layers which make up the structure of a
deciduous forest. The first layer is the canopy layer, which contains
trees such as oak, beech, maple, chestnut, elm, walnut, and sweet gum
trees. The trees in the canopy layer can reach heights of between 18
and 30m. The next layer is the small tree and sapling zone. This zone
has young and short trees. The third layer is called the shrub zone and
contains shrubs like rhododendrons, azaleas, mountain laurel, and
huckleberries. The herb layer is the fourth zone and contains short herb
type plants. The last layer is the ground zone containing lichen and
mosses.
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Temperate deciduous forests
Once you have read the information about the temperate deciduous forest, answer
the questions below.
Name three continents that deciduous forest grows in:
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2. ..................................................................................................................
3. ..................................................................................................................
Briefly summarise the main features of a temperate deciduous forest in your own words.
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Study the five words below. Which of these is the odd one out? (Doesn't relate to the temperate
deciduous forest and why?)
rainy
hot
mild
layers
hibernation
I think that ..................................... Is the odd one out because ...............................
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27614
Page 2 of 3
Temperate deciduous forests
Use the text to create a diagram/sketch to show the layered structure of the temperate
deciduous forest (add labels to show the different plants, animals, heights of layers and
any additional information).
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27614
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