Plant+Adaptations+- Temperate+Deciduous+Forest

Different layers are seen in the deciduous forests that showcase what primary consumers gain sunlight first and how they are able to use this energy effectively. Tall deciduous trees, like maple and evergreens make up the first layer receiving the most sunlight first, while lichens and mosses are apart of the fifth layer, growing at tree trunks ( D1). The four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter are all seen in this biome forcing organisms to adapt. Trees and plants in deciduous forests have special adaptations that allow them to survive in this biome in response to this factors ( D2 ). Trees in this biome dominate; they have leaves rather than pine needles that change according to the temperature and amount of sunlight seen. Annually, deciduous trees complete the process of losing and gaining leaves. In the summer, their broad green leaves capture sunlight and help the trees make food through photosynthesis. As temperatures cool in the fall, the chlorophyll (green pigment in leaves) break down, causing the beautiful red, yellow and orange leaf colors of fall. In the cold winter, deciduous trees and plants go into dormancy, kind of like a deep sleep. It is too cold for them to protect their leaves from the damage of freezing in the winter, so they simply lose them and seal up the places where the leaves attach to the branch.The warmer spring days signal to the trees that they can grow new leaves again, and restart the cycle. Another adaptation includes trees growing thick bark through natural selection to protect nutrients from drying out and prevent parasitic relationships with fungi and other bacteria. This adaptation is seen in the cold winter months. (D3 ).

Smaller primary consumers like wildflowers and ferns grow leaves relatively early to maximum the amount of reached sunlight, before the long forest trees begin to block the solar energy needed. (D4 )

D5 || Many trees have thick bark to protect against the cold winters in the temperate deciduous forest. D6 || In the autumn, deciduous trees drop their leaves to minimize water loss. ||
 * [[image:https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/evkBdRNMvAXQpzZr5uHDSsV3BXHqshF6vfjET7G9aWFwl5fyla7WOTUJLaT6ReYvhpcU0DotxpLonxvSfjMPaOY0RITsM9w5xnewz4S-4qtc14uQhTh-XEU78hZkspc180IgBhBR width="196" height="189" align="center"]] || [[image:https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/vNnmTZk5xsO8o6Gyn4Lb5HqiQRc9MxVnWyX0_YbOERaS4G9YgZO1i7f8ZQGXLw14I3Jetv-Nvdlqh7UE7c7VdqEnoVfcwdZnGwlJ_u1EX9gETQrnuioDnYvgkIoqMCHaZPHy97rs width="240" height="162" align="center"]] || [[image:https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/fmOApUZiw8ZNW67JgkAEWLjyaGDXaM5MY6rwfyW8kpaXZ8R8ha76nFm_-IUafQSWUMtkXTzI0r8C7Bgg7Klu1-yDl2OpohyIb6lrstleXoLU-6iqEEURKu1qM1t8B4GJnfPn5Z2A width="181" height="181" align="center"]] ||
 * Broad leaves can capture a lot of sunlight for a tree.

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