the different climate and landscape zones present on Earth;
the characteristic features of the eternally green equatorial forest, savannahs, steppes and Mediterranean landscape;
that deciduous trees in our country shed their leaves for winter.
You will learn
to describe the climatic conditions of the temperate zone;
to describe temperate deciduous forests;
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Deciduous forest landscape
The temperate deciduous forests zone has developed to the north of the Mediterranean vegetation zone. It can be found virtually all over Europe, in Asia and North America. Its climateclimateclimate is characterised by distinctive four seasons of the year. The amount of rainfall in each of these seasons is similar. Temperatures vary and depend largely on distance to the coast. In winter, temperature drops to 0°C in the marine climate region or below –20°C in the continental climate region. Due to days growing shorter and frost, plants are not able to absorb a large amount of water from the soil, as it has the form of snow or ice. Therefore, deciduous trees and shrubs that must limit evaporation (loss of water) shed their leaves in autumn, whereas herbaceous plants lose all their above‑ground components.
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Before humans changed environmental conditions by felling a major part of deciduous trees, forests dominated the landscape. They covered nearly all terrain apart from high mountains, sandy dunes and marshy river valleys. Climatic and soil conditions made it possible for deciduous forests dominated by such species of trees as oak, beech and hornbeam to grow. Next to them grow birches, maples and ashes. These forests have a multi‑layered structure; under the tree layer (often with a small number of coniferous trees mixed in, e.g. spruces, larches) grows a rich understory and undergrowth. Deciduous forests in the far east of Asia and in North America also include species of trees that don’t appear in European forests, e.g. magnolias and liriodendron.
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Nearly the entire surface of Poland is located in the temperate deciduous forest zone. The distance from the westernmost point and easternmost point in Poland as well as northernmost and southernmost point in Poland covers only several hundred kilometres, but it’s still possible to observe certain climatic differences and, in consequence, differences species composition of forests. Distance to the Atlantic Ocean and the Baltic Sea as well as location in the centre of Europe is of major importance. The impact of the continental climate is more prominent as you head east, especially northeast. It’s colder there and annual air temperature amplitudes are higher. As a result, the share of species resistant to extreme cold increases.
The development of agriculture in the last 1–2 thousand years resulted in more and more forests being felled and replaced with cropland. In addition, in the last 200 years the manufacturing and construction industry’s demand for wood has significantly increased. Nearly all old deciduous forests have been felled and faster‑growing coniferous forests have been planted in their place. At present, over 30% of Poland’s surface is covered by forests, however their species composition is not adequate to natural conditions. These are primarily economic (production) forests planted by foresters to be felled when they grow to an appropriate size. Original deciduous and mixed forests are nearly all gone and the remaining small patches (like Białowieża Forest) deserve to be closely protected.
Task 1
List four most common species of trees in the nearest forest. How many deciduous trees is among them?
Important!
For years, measures have been taken to increase the forest area in Poland and their area keeps growing. Ever since it was discovered that planting single‑species coniferous forests can lead to environmental disasters, such as the spread of tree diseases or pests, the share of deciduous trees in freshly‑planted forests is on the increase.
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Exercise 1
Summary
Temperate climatetemperate climateTemperate climate is characterised by four distinctive seasons. In these conditions, temperate deciduous forests have appeared.
Deciduous forests border the steppe, Meditteranean vegetation and coniferous forests.
The greater part of coniferous forests in Europe has been felled in the past.
At present, coniferous trees are the most commonly found trees in Polish forests. Only small patches of the original wilderness that covered Poland have survived.
Keywords
deciduous forest, temperate climate, winter
Glossary
climate
climate
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klimat – całość zjawisk pogodowych (temperatura, opady, wiatr) występujących na danym obszarze przez długi okres
temperate climate
temperate climate
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klimat umiarkowany – dobre warunki dla roślin przystosowanych do okresów zimna i mrozów