Temperate Deciduous Woodlands
Aims
• To learn about the temperature of the temperate
deciduous woodlands
• To understand how temperate deciduous woodland
vegetation is adapted to the environment it is found in.
Temperate Deciduous Woodland
Temperate Deciduous Woodland is the native vegetation of Great
Britain. They are also found in north-west Europe eastern North America
and parts of East Asia. They are broad-leaved trees such as oak. They
are found in these areas because they are well suited to the moderate
climate. Rainfall is distributed evenly throughout the year, summers are
warm but not too dry. Winters are cool but not too cold. The growing
season is long, lasting up to 7 months. Deciduous trees drop their
leaves in the autumn The soil is a brown earth. It is rich and fertile.
Weathering occurs and provides nutrients and the falling leaves provide
organic matter which enriches the soil even further. Earthworms mix up
the soil.
Use Page 81 of AQA Geography to help you complete the paragraph.
Adaptations of Temperate Deciduous Woodland Vegetation
Leaves are broad- leaved
so lose a lot of water
through stomata (holes on
the underneath of the leaf).
Leaves are shed in the
autumn because of a
reduction in heat and
light. It helps them to
conserve water.
Vegetation is found in layers.
Plants adapt by
leaning toward the sun.
Trees drop their leaves
in the autumn to
conserve water.
Animals adapt to the climate by
hibernating in the winter.
Leaves may fall early if
there’s been a late
spring and summer.
Roots soak up nutrients
from the soil.
Most animals are camouflaged
to look like the ground.
The Nutrient Cycle in a British Woodland
The nutrient cycle in a British woodland has a constant recycling
of the nutrients.
Food absorbed by
plant roots
Nutrients added to
soil as leaves decay
More nutrients in
vegetation than in soil
– recycling takes only
6 months
Trees use nutrients to
grow
Leaves fall to forest
floor
Fungi and bacteria
rapidly break down
leaves into humus