Deciduous forest

Among the types of forests we find the flatwood forest, consisting of evergreen trees and the deciduous forest, formed by deciduous trees. It is a plant formation whose trees lose their leaves annually depending on the temperatures and the climate. There are also different types of deciduous forests depending on the latitude where we are.

In this article we are going to tell you about all the characteristics, types and varieties of the deciduous forest.

Key features

There are different types of deciduous forests depending on the latitude and the preferred climate. There are temperate and tropical deciduous forests. The tropical ones are often called deciduous forests or deciduous forests. Both deciduous and deciduous can be considered synonymous. Both terms refer to the annual fall of the leaves.

The main characteristic of the deciduous forest is leaf loss during the most limiting period of the year. In temperate types the main limitation for which the leaves must lose is the energy balance. This or occurs in the period from autumn to winter. On the other hand, the types of tropical deciduous forest have a limitation and it is the water balance. It is here where the precipitations are the limitation of the development of the leaves due to a more marked very dry period.

The soils of the deciduous forest They are usually deep and very fertile due to the periodic contribution generated by the litter. The litter is composed of all that amount of leaves that falls from the tree and that is decomposed into fertile organic matter. This litter helps maintain good moisture and nutrient levels in the soil.

The temperate deciduous forest spans North America and southern Argentina, Chile, Europe, Asia, and eastern Australia. On the other hand, acidic forests are those that are distributed by tropical America, Africa and Indomalasia. The plant formations of acidic forests have different types of relief in which we find ourselves from plains to valleys and mountains.

In the temperate deciduous forests of the north, species such as Quercus, Fagus, Betula, Castanea and Carpinus. If we go to the tropics, Quercus and Nothofagus species abound as well as legume, bignonia and malvaceae species. The fauna that characterizes the temperate deciduous forest includes the wolf, the deer, the reindeer, the bear, and the European bison. While the tropical there are species of felines, monkeys and snakes.

Finally, it must be said that temperate deciduous forests have predominant continental and oceanic climates with 4 very marked seasons. In the deciduous conifers the climate is cold continental. On the other hand, the acidic forest has a warm tropical climate with two very marked seasons, the dry season and the rainy season.

Deciduous forest elements

Leaf expiration

We are going to analyze what are the elements that make up the deciduous forest. The first thing is the foliar expiration. No perennial plant that has a life cycle of several years has a leaf that lasts for a lifetime. The leaves and are constantly renewing although in some species all the leaves are lost in the same period. The evergreen ones are gradually losing them as they are regenerated.

The process of leaf fall is limited to certain environmental limitations such as a water deficit or a low energy balance. These adverse environmental conditions can force the tree to reduce its metabolism to low levels. One of the strategies that is successfully used to survive with a low metabolism is to shed the leaves totally or partially.

It must be said that the leaves are the metabolic centers of the plant in which photosynthesis, transpiration and most of the respiration of the plant take place. Thanks to the stomata, excess water can be released in the form of water vapor. One of the great problems of plants in summer is excess perspiration due to loss of water and high temperatures. Water leaks through the stomata during the photosynthesis process.

Therefore, by losing almost most of the foliage, various functions of the metabolism are canceled and their survival is reduced to a minimum. Leaf loss occurs during the fall season in the deciduous forest and the mushroom season in the tropical deciduous forest.

Growth rings

Eastern deciduous forest

Growth rings are other important elements. During the period in which there are various environmental limitations there is a formation of new tissues that is completely stopped in order to reduce metabolism. For example, the formation of conduction tissues such as xylem and phloem in the trunk of plants in temperate zones during the winter season. It is here that we can see that in spring the activities of the tissues begin again and form new conductive cells. This activity generates the growth rings that can be seen when making a cross section in the trunk.

As this occurs regularly in temperate zones, each growth ring corresponds to a latency period and an annual activation. In this way, the age of the tree in a temperate zone can be determined by counting the growth rings. On the other hand, in the tropical deciduous forest you can also see these growth rings but do not correspond to annual changes. These changes are not so easy to estimate since they depend on the dry season or abundant rainfall.

Land

Finally, the soils of the temperate deciduous forest are more fertile and deeper. This is due to the periodic contribution of litter that decomposes and forms fertile organic matter. These soils are perfect for regeneration and creation of new terrain.

The soils of the deciduous coniferous forests are dominated by podzol types. These soils are nutrient poor with permafrost formation in some poorly drained areas. Normally these soils are formed due to the low temperatures that exist throughout the year and little available humidity.

I hope that with this information you can learn more about the deciduous forest.


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