- forests in cool, rainy areas
- lose their leaves in Fall and regrow
them in Spring
- In the Northern Hemisphere, these
forests are found in North America, Europe, and Asia. In the Southern
Hemisphere, there are smaller areas of these forests, in South
America, Africa, and Australia.
- growing season about 6 months long
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|
| Rainfall |
2 to 5 feet of
precipitation (both rain and snow) each year
|
|
| Temperature |
average temperature in
temperate deciduous forests is roughly 75°F
Humidity in these forests is high, from
60% to 80%. |
|
| Plants |
There are five
layers in the temperate deciduous forest.
- Tree stratum, the tallest layer, 60
-100 feet high, with large oak, maple, beech, chestnut, hickory, elm,
basswood, linden, walnut, sweet gum trees,
cedar
- Small tree or sapling layer - short
tree species and young trees
- Shrub layer - shrubs like
rhododendrons, azaleas, mountain laurels, and huckleberries
- Herb layer - short plants
- Ground layer - lichens, clubmosses,
and true mosses
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|
| Mammals |
bears, beavers, opossums,
raccoons, porcupines, squirrels, skunks, wood mice, deer
some - bobcats, mountain lions,
timberwolves, and coyotes |
|
| Reptiles & Amphibians |
frog, newt, garter
snakes, turtles, salamanders
|
|
| Insects |
ant, spiders, slugs
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