Decidous woodland biome- basic facts

Deciduous woodlands contain trees with broad leaves such as oak, beech and elm. These form the canopy layer. They occur in places with high rainfall, warm summers and cooler winters and lose their leaves in winter. As some light can get through, the vegetation is layered. Beneath the taller trees in the canopy layer is a shrub layer. The shrub layer contains species like hazel, ash and holly. Beneath this is the ground layer where you can find grass, bracken or bluebells.

 

Temperate deciduous forests are found between 40° and 60° north and south of the equator. They are well suited to a moderate climate. The annual temperature range in these areas is low and precipitation can occur throughout the year with the rainfall being high, between 500-1,500 mm a year. The temperatures remain on average above 0°C even in the winter. The summer temperatures average between 25-20°C. The winter is cooler, encouraging the trees to shed their leaves. The area must have regrowth throughout the year so that trees can grow new leaves after the winter and conventional growth of other vegetation can occur according to seasonal variations of the woodland.

 

The soil type is brown earth, which is reddish-brown in colour. This is a fertile soil. In the autumn the leaves fall from the trees. The leaves decompose and help to give the soil its nutrients. Earthworms in the soil help to mix the nutrients, and blend the layers within the soil helping to keep the soil fertile.

 

The tree roots are deep and so help to break up the rock below. This helps to give the soil more minerals. The trees take up the nutrients in the soil as they grow. However, more nutrients are put back in the soil when the autumn comes

Deciduous trees shed their leaves in the winter, when the light and temperature falls so they can conserve water and to survive the harsh abiotic winter conditions. The vegetation in temperate deciduous forests grows in layers. Bluebells grow very quickly in the spring so they can flower before the trees get their leaves as the forest floor is too dark to grow when the canopy is complete.

 

Huge tracts of deciduous woodland have been cleared across Britain over the past centuries, as humans have cut the trees down for building materials and fuel. Settlements were built close to woods, as they allowed local people a place to hunt, find fuel, and find protection in times of danger. One of the primary reasons for the clearance of many of the deciduous woodlands around Britain was to use the area for agriculture. This occurred as more and more new settlements grew and the food sources of the forests ran out.