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 yearIn temperate forests, the main constraint that causes leaf loss is energy balance. This occurs during the period from autumn to winter. Tropical deciduous forests, on the other hand, have a limiting factor: water balance. This is where rainfall is the limiting factor for leaf development due to a more pronounced dry period.
The soils of the deciduous forest They are usually deep and very fertile due to the periodic contribution generated by the litter. Leaf litter consists of all the leaves that fall from the tree and decompose into fertile organic matter. This litter helps maintain good levels of moisture and nutrients in the soil. forest floors deciduous trees are essential for your health.
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 CarpinusIn tropical forests, Quercus and Nothofagus species abound, as well as legumes, Bignoniaceae, and Malvaceae. The fauna that characterizes temperate deciduous forests includes wolves, deer, reindeer, elk, bears, and European bison. Tropical forests contain 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
Let's analyze the elements that make up a deciduous forest. The first is leaf deciduousness. No perennial plant with a life cycle of several years has a single leaf that lasts a lifetime. Leaves are constantly renewed, although some species lose all their leaves 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, the loss of almost all of the foliage negates various metabolic functions and minimizes survival. Leaf loss occurs during the fall in deciduous forests and during the dry season in tropical deciduous forests.
Growth rings
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. This is where we can see that in spring, tissue activity begins again, forming new conductive cells. This activity generates the growth rings that can be seen when making a cross section of the trunk.
Since this occurs regularly in temperate zones, each growth ring corresponds to a dormant period and an annual activation period. In this way, the age of a tree in a temperate zone can be determined by counting the growth rings. On the other hand, in tropical deciduous forests, these growth rings can also be observed, 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
Lastly, the soils of the temperate deciduous forest are more fertile and deeper. This is due to the periodic supply of leaf litter, which decomposes and forms fertile organic matter. These soils are perfect for regeneration and the creation of new soil, so their analysis is essential in the study of this type of forest.
The soils of coniferous-deciduous forests are predominantly podzol type. 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.