The boreal forest is a forest located in the northern hemisphere in Russia, Canada, Alaska, Sweden, Norway, Finland, etc. The vast majority is in Russia, however 60% of Canada is covered by boreal forest.
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Abiotic Factors
Abiotic factors are non-living characteristics, so for example soil type, climate, air quality, etc.
The soil in boreal forests is a type of soil known as spodosol or podzol. This type of soil lacks nutrients, because the extreme cold doesn't allow organic material to decompose and supply the soil with nutrients. The soil tends to be extremely thin and young. The soil is also acidic due to the pine needles that fall from the trees, which hinders growth on the forest floor, and only very select mosses and lichens are able to grow. If parts of the forest are cleared, there are often more berries and mosses able to grow because the soil is less acidic because of the lack of pine needles.
The climate in boreal forests is cold and wet. During the winter months, precipitation occurs as snow and in the summer it occurs as heavy rain. The forests are characterized by their long cold winters and short mild summers. The average low temperature is about -8 degrees fahrenheit and the high temperature about 70 degrees fahrenheit. Below is a graph of the average temperature (in fahrenheit) and rainfall (in inches) during each month.
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The air in boreal forests has a high oxygen level because there are many trees which produce oxygen. During the summer there are roughly 20 hours of sunlight, however in the winter there are only about 4 hours. The thick forest provides a great amount of shelter for the organisms living in the forest.
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Producers
Boreal forests have a mixture of coniferous trees, like pines, and deciduous trees. Coniferous trees are trees with cones and needles. Deciduous trees are trees that shed their leaves annually. Boreal forests also have a wide variety of shrubs, herbs and grasses.
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| Photo by Marshall Sunberg |
Consumers
Boreal forests have a large number of both primary and secondary consumers. Some primary consumers include rabbits, insects, deer, buffalo, goat, sheep, mice, and a wide variety of birds. Some secondary consumers include wolves, foxes, predatory cats, bears, and raccoons.
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| Photo by Tom W. Hall |
Decomposers
Decomposers are fungus and bacteria that break down dead plants and animals. In the forest there are many types of lichens and fungi. The decomposition occurs very slowly in boreal forests.
Human Influences
Humans have been threatening boreal forests for two main reasons. The first being the desire to drill for oil in places that are covered by boreal forest, like parts of Alaska and Canada. This drilling would destroy the forest ecosystem. The second threat is logging in forests. These trees are slow growing and it would take hundreds of years to recover from that type that of damage.
Food Web
Evolution
Human Influences
Humans have been threatening boreal forests for two main reasons. The first being the desire to drill for oil in places that are covered by boreal forest, like parts of Alaska and Canada. This drilling would destroy the forest ecosystem. The second threat is logging in forests. These trees are slow growing and it would take hundreds of years to recover from that type that of damage.
Food Web
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| Picture from ecoplexity.org |
You can see the evolutionary benefits that the animals of the boreal forest have adapted. For example, the snowshoe hare's coat changes color from brown to white in the winter to allow it to avoid the secondary consumers. They also have adopted unusually large paws to avoid sinking into the deep snow in the winter months.
Other predatory animals such as the bear and wolf have developed thick coats to keep them warm in the winter. They also are very large to have more body heat.
Works Cited
Works Cited
http://www.ducks.ca/assets/2012/06/nv15_bf.pdf
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