Forest Ecosystems

1. Vocabulary
• Forest: area in which the main plants are trees
• Deciduous forest: forests made up mostly of
trees
• Tropical rain forest: grow in places such as
Hawaii and Costa Rica; hot and wet all year
• Coastal forest: grow where there is a lot of
rain
• Coniferous forest: forests that contain mostly
evergreen trees (conifers)

2. Graphs
• Textbook page B14

3. Deciduous Forests
• Trees: deciduous tree; maple, oak
• Leaves: lose and regrow each year
• Climate: warm wet summers and cold winters
• Why do these trees lose their leave before
winter?
– So that they will need less water through the winter
• 3 Types of plants in a deciduous forest
– Ferns
– Moss
– shrubs

4. Tropical Rain Forests
• Trees: Grow very tall
• Leaves: Stay green all year
• Climate: hot and wet
• Tropical rain forest have more living things
than anywhere else on Earth.
• 3 layers of a tropical rain forest
– Top: canopy
– Middle: understory
– Bottom: forest floor

5. Coastal Forests
• Trees: tall trees
• Climate: damp and cool
• 3 layers of a coastal forest:
– Top: canopy
– Middle: understory
– Bottom: forest floor
• What is the main difference between coastal forests
and tropical rain forests?
– Both are thick with tall tree
– Same kinds of layers as tropical rain forests.
– Tropical rain forests are warmer

6. Coniferous Forests
• Trees: conifers, seeds in cones
• Leaves: needle shaped, do not lose leaves,
green all year
• Climate: less rain than other forests, cold
winter and cool summers
• Why are conifers shaped like triangles?
– Helps keep heavy snow from piling up on a tree’s
larger branches in winter, which might cause them
to break