Producers+and+Consumers+-+Temperate+Deciduous+Forest

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= = = Producers  = = = __Liquidambar (Genus) __ = =

= = = =  [B1] [B2]

Named for the sweet liquid amber sap exuded by the trunk of the tree, the Liquidambar has many species spread through China, Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, Turkey, Rhodes and North America. [B3] Though it is a flowering plant in the Altingiaceae family [B3], they have insignificant flowers and grow spiny fruit. The plant grows between 60 to 100 feet and up to 50 to 75 feet wide. The plant requires partial shade and dry to moist soil. It leaves are star-shaped with 5 to 7 lobes with a variety of colors in the fall season. [B2] A dicot plant, Liquidambar has been used for erosion control, timber and beatification control in the United States. Sweetgum is susceptible to iron chlorosis in alkaline soils (soils with a high PH) and occasional necrosis. [B4] = =

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= = __Aspen __ = =

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= =  The most populous tree in the United States, Aspens typically grow in environments that are otherwise dominated by coniferous species and often lacking other large deciduous species. The plant can grow up to 60 to 100 feet tall. [B6] Living up to 40 to 150 years, its roots grow up to 40 feet in diameter and can easily destroy public roads and sewers. [B8] Many species are not only found in North America but also in China and Northern Europe. Aspens are important hosts to bryophytes and butterflies and young aspen bark are important forage for European hares, beavers, elk, moose, and deer. [B7] It is also used by many birds for nesting. Humans have used aspen for medical treatments and paper manufacturing. = =

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= = __Tsuga/Hemlock __ = =

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= = = =  [B9] = =

= =  Known for being the most tolerant of all trees and survives under very low light conditions B10], the Tsuga, better known as hemlock, are evergreen trees that range from 10 to 60 meters. Hemlocks are found Asian and North America and are very adaptive to different temperate areas including rainfall, cool summers and can survive with little water. Hemlocks are also more tolerant of heavy shade compared to other conifers. All these factors, make hemlock a very diversifiable plant. Regardless, there are many threats against the Hemlock including sap-sucking insects like the adelgid and aphids. Older Hemlock trees are oftentimes attached by a variety of fungal disease and decay species which rot the heartwood. [ B11 ]

= Consumers = __Bobcat __ B14] Bobcats are carnivores that live in dens, caves, rocky crevices and within or beneath logs in the temperature deciduous forests. The animal eats a variety of small animals (primary consumers) which include snowshoe hares, cottontails, mice, voles, moles, shrews, squirrels, muskrats, beavers, woodchucks, etc. B12] Bobcats' average lifespan in the wild is anywhere from 10 to 12 years. Bobcats roam throughout North America and adapt well to such diverse habitats as forests, swamps, deserts, and even suburban areas.B13]

__White-Tailed Deer __ B15] White-tailed deer are herbivores that live in a mixture of hardwoods, croplands, brushlands, pasturelands, meadows, forested woodlots, brushy areas and croplands B16] areas in southern Canada and most of the United States, except for the Southwest states, Alaska and Hawaii. The diet of the white-tailed deer is green plants during spring and summer, corn, acorns and other nuts in the fall, and buds, and twigs of woody plants in the winter. B17] The average lifespan of the white-tailed deer is 6 to 14 years. B15]

__Black-Capped Chickadee __ B18] The black-capped chickadees are omnivores who live can live in any habitats that have trees or woody shrubs, from forests and sometimes weedy fields to cattail marshes. The black-capped chickadee nest in birch or alder trees, specifically. The eating habit of the black-capped chickadee includes seeds, berries, other plant matter, insects, spiders, suet, and sometimes fat and bits of meat from frozen carcasses. B20] The average lifespan for a female black-capped chickadee is 1.5 years and a male black-capped chickadee is 1.8 years. These organisms are generally located in North America. B19]

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