Work Cited

Sayre, April Pulley. Temperate Deciduous Forest. New York: Twenty-First Century, 

         1994. Print.

Röhrig, Ernst, and B. Ulrich. Temperate Deciduous Forests. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1991. Print.

Col, , Jeananda. "Temperate Deciduous Forest Animal Printouts - EnchantedLearning.com."                                   

         Temperate Deciduous Forest Animal Printouts - EnchantedLearning.com. Enchanted Learning,                                              

         2001. Mon. 17 Jun. 2014.

"temperate forest." Britannica School. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2014. Mon. 7 Jun. 2014. <http://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/117271>.

"forest." Britannica School. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2014. Mon. 7 Jun. 2014. <http://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/34863>.

"biome." Britannica School. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2014. Mon. 8 Jun. 2014. <http://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/79266>.

Food Web

Definition: the interlocking of many food chains that are linked together in order to show the different  feeding relationships between organisms present in an ecosystem. The arrows show the transfer of energy from the prey to the predator. Energy transfer is not 100% efficient, only 10% of the energy is passed onto the next energy level. 

https://biomesfourth09.wikispaces.com/file/view/alec_and_julia's_food_web.JPG
/112532155/alec_and_julia's_food_web.JPG

1) Primary Producers (organism that make their own food): Green & Dark Orange Color

2) Primary Consumers (organisms that eat primary producers): Purple Color

3) Secondary Consumers (eat primary consumers): Blue/Orange Color, 

4) Tertiary Consumers (eat secondary consumers): Orange/Yellow Color

These colors are just a rough representation of each feeding level, the organisms present in each trophic level also feed on other trophic levels. The colors just help to give an idea on what is happening at each one. 

Population Growth

Exponential Growth

Definition: is a type of growth curve when a population is constantly increasing with no factors that limits its growth. The graph of this line is in a J curve that rises from the left to right. This type of curve when there is an infinite amount of  resources are available in an environment. The rate of growth will be increasing each year because resources keep on being available. 

http://image.tutorvista.com/cms/images/38

/exponential-growth-graph.JPG

Example: The temperate deciduous forest contains bacteria which grow at an exponential rate. In particular the forest contains paramecium, bacterium and amoeba. Bacteria grows exponentially in the temperate deciduous forest because bacteria grows high in a fresh medium when a given number of cells are present. This forest is rich with fresh medium, it consist of one of the most richest soils and bacteria loves to inhabit itself in it. This forest is always growing due to constant rain during summer and spring times. 

http://richardwiseman.files.wordpress.com/2009

/09/petri_dish_13_october_2005.jpg

Logistic Growth & Carrying Capacity

Definition: is a type of growth curve that will start slow and then keeps increasing until it finally tappers of at its carrying capacity. The carrying capacity is the amount of organisms an ecosystem can sustain without becoming overpopulated and loosing resources. Logistic growth is in the form of a S-Curve. This is the most common type that is found in biological populations. 

http://hann1900.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent

/sitebuilderpictures/00lect21grolog.gif

Example: The White Tailed Squirrel is an example of an r-selected species. If this population of white tailed squirrels started of with just a few members but then found a steady source of food. This population of squirrels would then start to grow rapidly and reproduce at a steady rate. Then if a natural disaster such as a hurricane comes by, it would diminish the food source which would lead to the population tapering of at the carrying capacity. 

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7200/

6991374107_02ba86485a_z.jpg

Age Structure Pyramids

Definition: shows the chance of living in a population through each age group. In the temperate deciduous forest there weren't any depictions of animals for age structure diagrams. This is why a survivorship curve is a much accurate representation of what organisms live and survive in this biome. A survivorship curve is a graph that measures the number of organisms that  will be alive a different age groups. There are three types which are type 1, 2, and 3

http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/survivorship-curve-types-examples-quiz.html

Example: In the temperate deciduous forest type 2 organisms are commonly present. These type of organisms have an even chance of dying throughout their life span. There chance of dying is independent of age so the mortality rate is constant throughout there entire life. In the deciduous forest species that display this behavior is the White Tailed Squirrel and the Red-Tailed Hawk.

http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/Birds/Red-tailed%20Hawk/BD0094_1l.jpg

K & R Selected Species

K-Selected Species in Temperate Deciduous Forest

Characteristics: density-dependent: fewer offspring for better chance of survival, high energy investment in offspring, large young

Examples: American Black Bear, Red Fox, White Tailed Deer

http://www.bear.org/website/images/stories/images/
images-new/black_bear_w_5_cubs_nh_june_2007.jpg

http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/IMAGES/

Pennsylvania/white_tailed_deer_buck2.jpg 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia

/commons/a/a0/Red_fox.jpg

R-Selected Species in Temperate Deciduous Forest

Characteristics: density-independent: many offspring for better chance of survival, low energy investment in offspring, small young

Examples: White Tailed Squirrel, Eastern Chipmunk, Carpenter Bees (Xylocopa)

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7200/6991374107_02ba86485a_z.jpg 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/
commons/c/c5/Tamias_striatus2.jpg 

http://www.masscertifiedhomein

spections.com/files/carpenter_bee.gif

Primary / Secondary Succession

Definition: Succession is the development of plant and animal life as an ecosystem changes overtime. 

Primary Succession:  is the growth of an ecosystem that starts from bare rock. In this area there are no plant or animals that previously occupied it. This process occurs very slowly because there are organic compounds present in order to allow growth.

Lichen: example of a pioneer organism in the temperate deciduous forest. Pioneer organisms are basically the first organism to occupy an area.  

1) Lichens have the ability to give off acid which will then degrade the rock to form soil. 

http://wallpaperswide.com/lichens_on_rock-wallpapers.html

2) Once the soil is present in the biome, moss can now start to grow in the area. As this moss decays, it leads to nutrients being added to the soil such as organic matter. 

http://mountainmoss.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Irish-Moss.jpg

3) As time goes on and more rock starts to decay, the soil become thicker which leads to the formation of weeds and grasses

http://www.commodities.caes.uga.edu/turfgrass/georgiaturf/WeedMngt/images/PANDI1.jpg

4) When the grass and weeds decompose, those nutrients are added to the soil also. When this soil is thick enough, bushes and small trees can finally start to grow

http://s3.amazonaws.com/wordpress_production/articles

/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/how-to-plant-a-bush.jpg

5) Then the first type of trees can start to grow which are pine trees (gymosperms). They are the first ones to grow because when compared to other trees it requires the least amount of nutrients.  

http://thegraphicsfairy.com/wp-content/uploads/blogger/-IsaIDChrUfw/TeghgfWKaGI/AAAAAAAAMxE/AxxZFChpsj8/s1600/tree%2Bpine-graphicsfairy008b.jpg

6) When this soil has finally reached an optimal richness, the deciduous trees now have the chance to finally start growing in the soil. 

http://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/273922/273922,1304197269,

1/stock-photo-beautiful-fresh-green-deciduous-tree-isolated-on-pure-white-background-76263568.jpg

7) After a while, these trees will be the most dominant ones in the area because they can grow tall and capture the suns energy

8) In the end, these deciduous trees will become mature and smaller plants such as wild flowers have to adapt to the minimal sunlight they have available. This is the climax of forest developing. 

http://wildtracks.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/autumn-foliage.jpg

Secondary Succession: the growth of an ecosystem in a biome that already has vegetation. These areas have been damaged by some sort of natural disaster and in these areas there is now organic matter present. 

1) Soil is present in this area so weeds will be the first thing that will grow

2) After this all of the steps that happen in primary succession will occur again

Keystone Species

Definition: species whose extinction in an ecosystem would lead to the death of other forms of life. If this specie was removed from an ecosystem, it would lead to the end of other organisms within a biome

Examples in Temperate Deciduous Forest

1) Gopher Tortoise

Purpose: it digs burrows/holes in the soil. These burrows provide shelter for not only itself but over 300 other different organisms

http://cdn2.arkive.org/media/91/91DBD1DE-38C9-48D3-86E8-

A48182C62630/Presentation.Large/Gopher-tortoise-in-burrow-entrance.jpg

2) White-Tailed Deer

Purpose: it eats different plants such as mosses, shrubs, and ferns. By eating these different plants it keeps all of their populations in check and prevents overgrowth from happening in the forest. 

http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/

Mammals/White-tailed%20Deer/wild15.jpg

Symbiotic Relationships

1. Mutualism: both organisms benefit from the relationship

Example: Flower Dogwood & Carpenter Bees (Xylocopa) : flowers in the forest give insects food by giving nectar to the bee. While the bee provides for the pollination of the flower to help it reproduce

Carpenter Bee
http://sites.psu.edu/kganspropagationadventures
/wp-content/uploads/sites/9833/2014/04/dogwood.jpg 

Flower Dogwood
http://www.knockoutpest.com/images/carpenter_bee_hole.jpg

2. Commensalism: one organism benefits while the other is neither harmed nor hurt

Example: Northern Cardinal & Oak Tree: Birds nest in the tree and  neither harmed nor hurt it in the process

Northern Cardinal

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/

PHOTO/LARGE/northern_cardinal_1.jpg

Oak Tree

http://www.oaktree-lucky21.com/5254384

-oak-tree-in-full-leaf-in-summer-isolated

-over-white-background.jpg

3. Parasitism: one organism preys on another

Example: Tapeworm & American Blackbear: the tapeworm lodges itself in the intestines of the mammal and it feeds on it until the bear eventually dies

Tapeworm
http://www.psmicrographs.co.uk/_assets/
uploads/tapeworm-80013853-l.jpg

Black Bear
http://beartrust-dev1.org/wp-content/
uploads/2011/05/black-bear-cub.jpg

Predator / Prey Relationship

Description: A predator is one that tries to wound or kill the prey.

Example:  In the temperate deciduous forest that Black Rat Snake (Elaphe obsoleta) preys on the Eastern Cottontail Rabbit to gain its energy for the day 

Black Rat Snake
https://www.findfarmcredit.com/assets
/blog/snake-egg.jpg

Eastern Cottontail Rabbit
http://www.psu.edu/dept/nkbiology/naturetrail/speciespages
/speciespics/eastern_cottontail.jpg

Biodiversity in the Biome

Description: The Temperate Deciduous Forest is a biome that is rich in its diversity. It contains the kingdoms Plantae, Protista, Animalia and Fungi. The richer the biodiversity in an ecosystem, the less likely that it will be susceptible to if a plague came along. The richer the amount of diversity in an ecosystem the higher the genetic diversity. 

Plantae Examples: Oak Tree, Elm Tree, Daisies, Ferns

Oak Tree
http://tempdecfor.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/7/8/13788573/9157966.jpg  

Elm Tree
http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/forsite/picts/biome38.jpg             













Protista Examples: paramecium, bacterium, amoeba,

Paramecium
http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/Miscellaneous/Paramecium/parameci

Amoeba
http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/imgsep01/amoebaproteus450.jpg





Fungi Examples: mushrooms, lichens



Mushroom
http://growyourownmushrooms.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/grow-own-mushrooms.jpg






Animalia Examples: Red Fox, Hawk, 

Red Fox
http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/006/cache/red-fox_679_600x450.jpg

Hawk

http://eofdreams.com/hawk.html

Water Cycle

Why Water Cycle Important in Forest

https://earthdata.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/2011_carbon_fallcolors.jpg

Water is essential to all life that happens in this forest because without it, the plants and animals can’t function properly. Water is known to be a carrier for the plant. It transports all the nutrients from the soil to the plant. Without this water, this whole biome would definitely fall apart.

Why Humans Need Plants:

http://companionplants.com/images/small-plant2.jpg

Plants are the basis for the entire food chain and without them we as humans would fall apart. 

Water Cycle Process in the Temperate Deciduous Forest

http://www.kidzone.ws/images-changed/water/swatercycle1.gif

1) The water cycle happens mostly through the stage of transpiration in the temperate forest by the process of water evaporating from the leaves and going into the atmosphere. 

2) This is due to the temperate forest having  an abundance of trees and a lack of bodies of water. 3) When it’s warm outside the air will rise and then cool. The water vapor will then condense into tiny droplets that form the clouds in the sky. 

4) When there are too many droplets within a cloud, the water droplets will then fall to the earth as precipitation. 

5) Due to the minimal amount of lakes in the forest, most of the water will fall into the soil and becomes groundwater. 

6) The water goes into the roots of the plant and then the cycle will just begin all over again.

Limiting Factors

Definition: are the conditions within an biome that determine how big it will actually become overtime. These factors stop all different types of biomes from growing exponentially. 

Types of Limiting Factors
1) Density-Independent Factor / Abiotic: ones that affect the population size and growth despite how big the population is. 
2) Density-Dependent Factors / Biotic: affected by the size of a population which usually involves living things.

http://www.hdwpapers.com/deciduous_forest_hd_wallpaper_2-wallpapers.html

Biotic Limiting Factors

1) Allelopathy

 http://treepicturesonline.com/theblackwalnut.jpg                

Definition: ability for a plant to affect the pH of the soil and the nutrient makeup with in the soil. Special types of plants uses this system in order to gain an advantage when competing with other plants in order to receive more nutrients from the soil.     

Example: Eastern Black Walnut Tree which is a native tree in eastern north american that does this in the temperate deciduous forest.

2) Pests

http://extension.entm.purdue.edu/CAPS/pestInfo/pics/big/asianGypsy.jpg

Definition: non-native species are very detrimental when placed into the temperate deciduous forest because old growth forests are very susceptible to different types of pests. Due to the forest being old growth, it has a hard time adjusting to small changes within its environment. When these pests are present they cause extreme damage. 

Example: The Asian Gypsy Moth invaded the United States in 1991 but is slowly being eradicated by different environmentalist in the United States. The reason why this organism is so detrimental is that in large numbers it can completely remove the leaves of the trees which completely throws of the growing season. This will eventually lead to the death of the tree due to it not being able to survive during the cold months.

3) Disease

http://threatsummary.forestthreats.org/images/threats/Chestnut_Blight_113.jpg

Definition: a disease can be anything from a bacteria to a virus that spreads through an ecosystem. The harmful part of a disease it that it can be viral so if one organism has it, it spreads to other organisms very easily by close contact or the exchange fluids.

Example: The Chestnut Blight disease; it single handedly killed of the entire adult chestnut population in the deciduous forest. The virus spreads so easily which made other trees become infected.

Abiotic Limiting Factors

1) Sunlight

http://www.massachusettslandusemonitor.com/files/iStock_000011566387Small.jpg

Why Sunlight is Needed?: basic necessity in order for different types of plants to survive, temperate deciduous forest are known for their tall trees which makes it difficult for low lying shrubs to receive sunlight. As a result, little sunlight actually reaches the bottom floor of these forest which makes these shrubs and ferns not even grow that much. These plants have to adapt to shady conditions in order to survive. Sunlight is an extreme limiting factor for them

2) Human Cultivation

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/00886/07TH_AIR_POLLUTION_886689f.jpg

Effect of Human Cultivation: human civilization has been building on temperate forest for years which has led to the destruction of habitat. The excess amounts of pollution and the building of factories has led to the extinction of several animal species becoming extinct such as the giant beaver. 

Example: the falling of acid rain when coal power plants release their fumes into the air. These power plants release sulfites, nitrites, and carbon into the air which when mixed with the atmosphere creates Sulfuric acid, Nitric acid, Nitrous acid, and carbonic acid. Plants suffer heavily from this process because they open their stomata when it rains to receive water but all they get in the end is damaged leaves.

3) Water

http://newtopwallpapers.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Dew-Rain-HD-Wallpaper.jpg

Why Water is Needed?: essential compound in order for different plants to function especially in the deciduous forest. After the chaparral biome, the temperate deciduous forest has one of the most fertile types of soil. Rainfall is essential for this biome to function and constant rainfall helps to keeps the soil moist without being completely wet. This is why water is a limiting factor for this biome because without it, the different shrubs honestly can’t functions that well.