CONTENTS What are forests Types of forests Forests around the world 4 6 8 Boreal forest life 10 Tropical rainforest life 12 Temperate rainforest life Deciduous forest life 14 16 Forest life cycles 18 Forest food chains 20 People and the forest biome Forest resources Forest threats Forest futures Glossary Find out more Index 22 24 26 28 30 31 32
WHAT ARE FORESTS Forest biomes are areas with large numbers of trees covering the land Trees are the giants of the plant kingdom The trunk of this giant sequoia tree towers above the other trees in Kings Canyon National Park in California A large tree can lift 100 gallons 380 liters of water out of the ground in just one day Trees in all shapes and sizes Trees grow in forests worldwide but only in places with enough rainfall so their roots can take up enough water to survive They range from enormous redwoods and sequoias which are the biggest living things on Earth down to slender birch trees They can have tiny leaves shaped like needles or giant flat leaves But however different they have two things in common They all have big tough woody stems that support them and they can live for many years 4 Amazing Adaptation Adaptations are special features or body parts that living things develop over time to help them survive in a biome Trees get energy for growing so big from food Like other green plants they are adapted for making their own food by photosynthesis Inside tree leaves energy from sunlight is used to turn carbon dioxide gas from the air and water supplied through its roots into sugary food
Forest life Forests are not just about trees Many living things have adapted to life in the forest biome Plants such as ferns and orchids grow on the branches and fungi grow on the forest floor Some animals such as insects and monkeys eat tree leaves and fruit and others including wild boar and deer eat fallen nuts Many predators such as jaguars and chameleons survive by catching forest prey Vital resource During photosynthesis plants release oxygen Nearly all living things on Earth need oxygen to survive as it is used to release energy from food in a process called respiration Two-thirds of the total leaf area of all land plants in the world is found in forests so forests are essential oxygen factories supporting life on our planet Chameleons are lizards that use branch gripping feet to move through forests They have long tongues to catch insect prey they have spotted with their swiveling eyes Fact Focus Biome or Habitat Biomes are regions of the world such as deserts forests rivers oceans tundra and grassland that have a similar climate plants and animals A biome may be made of several habitats A habitat is the specific place in a biome where a plant or animal lives 5
