Broad-leaved forests: features, relief, plants and animals

The zone of deciduous forests is located in Manchuria, the Far East, within the temperate zone of Europe, eastern China, and North America. It also affects the southern part of South America and some parts of Central Asia.

Broad-leaved forests are most common where there is a moderately warm climate, and the ratio of moisture and heat is optimal. All this provides favorable conditions during the growing season. The leaf plates of the trees growing there are wide, hence the name of these forests. What other features does this natural zone have? Broad-leaved forests are home to numerous animals, reptiles, birds and insects.

Character traits

The features of broad-leaved forests are that they can be distinguished in two distinct tiers. One of them is higher, the other lower. These forests are shrubby, the available grass grows in three tiers, the ground cover is represented by lichens and mosses.

Another characteristic feature is the light regime. In these forests, two light maxima are singled out. The first is observed in the spring period, when the trees are not covered with foliage. The second - in the autumn, when the foliage is thinning. In the summer, light penetration is minimal. The above described mode explains the peculiarity of the grass cover.

The soil of broad-leaved forests is rich in organo-mineral compounds. They appear as a result of the decomposition of plant litter. Trees of deciduous forests contain ashes. Especially a lot of it in the leaves - about five percent. Ash, in turn, is rich in calcium (twenty percent of the total). It also includes potassium (about two percent) and silicon (up to three percent).

Trees of broad-leaved forests

Forests of this type are characterized by a rich variety of tree species. The latter can be counted about ten. Broad-leaved forests of the taiga, for example, are not so rich in this regard. The reason is that the conditions of severe taiga climate do not so have to the growth and development of the flora. Many demanding for the composition of soil and climate, wood species simply will not survive in adverse conditions.

In the southern part of the Tula region is a well-known forest. He gives an excellent idea of what can be broad-leaved forests. The soil of this territory is favorable for the growth of such trees as petiolate oaks, small leaved lindens, holly and field maples, common ash trees, elms, elms, wild apples and pears. Oaks and ash are the highest, followed by holly maples, elms and lindens. The lowest - field maples, wild pears and apple trees. As a rule, the dominant position is occupied by oak, and the remaining trees act as satellites.

Let us consider in more detail the above-mentioned representatives of dendroflora.

1. Oak. It is the main forest-grower of broad-leaved forests in the European territory. A cherry oak is one of the longest growing and large trees. It also occurs in private plots in solitary plantings. Due to the ability of the oak to perfectly tolerate pruning, it is possible to form the most beautiful solitaires with spherical, obovate, tent-shaped crown forms.
2. Elm. Smooth and rough species are found in the forests of non-chernozem zones. These large trees constitute the dominant tier of coniferous-broad-leaved and broad-leaved forests. Previously widely used for gardening, but recently this trend has declined due to the spread of such a disease as the Dutch disease of the elm.
3. Ash ordinary. The plant reaches thirty to forty meters in height. This tree is characterized by a fairly straight trunk, a light gray crust (with the passage of time it becomes dark), a loose fishnet that skips a lot of sunlight. The root system is very branched, powerful, inflorescences thick and paniculate. A distinctive feature is the high demand for the composition of the soil. Ash ordinary is one of the main breeds of field-protection breeding. This is a warm and light-loving plant, it does not tolerate spring frosts. The flowering of the ash occurs in May, the process of pollination is carried out with the help of wind. The time of fruit ripening is October-November. They fall either in winter, or in early spring.
4. Beech forest. Continuing the enumeration of which trees grow in a broad-leaved forest, one can not but mention it. It reaches forty meters in height and one and a half meters in diameter. The bark of the beech is light gray, the leaves are elliptical. Territories of the greatest distribution - the west of Europe, the Caucasus, Crimea. The main value of the beech forest lies in its fruits. Nutrients ripen from September to October. They are almost thirty percent composed of a semi-drying fatty oil, the same amount of nitrogenous substances. Valuable fruits are also rich in starch, sugars, acids (apple and lemon), tannins. It is interesting that a poisonous alkaloid called phagin has the property of decomposing when roasting nuts. So it becomes absolutely safe for human health. From the fruit produce a substitute for coffee, in the ground form they are added to the usual flour when making flour products. Beech wood is a beautiful and durable decorative material.
5. Maple. Broad-leaved forests located in the European part of Russia, as well as in the Caucasus, are characterized as a favorable environment for the growth of holly (ordinary) maples. These trees grow to twenty meters in height. Their leaves are large, dark green, five-lobed. The color of the bark is gray. Shoots and leaves of this tree are widely used for the therapy of various ailments. These gifts of nature contain a large amount of ascorbic acid, alkaloids, tannins. Broths and infusions treat wounds, inflammations. They also produce choleretic, diuretic, antiseptic and analgesic effect. Adherents of herbal medicine know perfectly which trees in the broadleaf forest are most beneficial. So, leaves and shoots of maple are recommended for the effective treatment of jaundice, kidney stone disease, for getting rid of nausea and vomiting.

Herbs

Plants of broad-leaved forests are characterized by large and wide leaf plates. For this reason they are called broad-grass oak groves. Some herbs grow in single specimens, they never form impenetrable thickets. Others, on the other hand, form a kind of carpet covering large spaces. Such herbs are dominant. Among them, it is noted that the common one is discarded, the filbert sedge is yellowish and zelenchuk is yellow.

Most of the herbaceous plants that exist in broad-leaved forests are perennial. They live up to several decades. As a rule, their existence is supported by vegetative reproduction. Seeds they reproduce poorly. A characteristic feature of these plants is the long underground and aboveground shoots that are rapidly expanding in different directions and are actively exciting new areas of the earth.

The above-ground parts of the majority of representatives of the oak broad grass die off in the autumn period. Only the roots and rhizomes that are in the soil hibernate. On them are located special buds, from which spring new shoots are formed.

An exception

Rare representatives of broad grass remain green in winter and in summer. Such plants include the following: a hoof, a greenchamber, a sedge hairy.

Shrubs

As for these representatives of the flora, it is very difficult to meet them in broad-leaved forests. They are simply not characteristic of oak forests, which can not be said about coniferous forests, where bushes grow everywhere. The most common are blueberries and lingonberries.

"Hasty" oak forest ephemeroids

These plants represent the greatest interest for specialists studying forest flora. Among them are the spring chick, the buttercup, the crinches of various species and goose onions. These plants are usually small in size, but they develop very quickly. Ephemeroids hasten to appear immediately after the snow has fallen. Some particularly quick sprouts break through even through the snow. A week later, a maximum of two, their buds are already blossoming. After a few weeks, the fruit and seeds are ripening. After that, the plants lie on the ground, turn yellow, after which the part that is above the ground dies. And this process occurs at the very beginning of the summer period, when, as it may seem, the conditions for growth and development are maximally favorable. The secret is simple. Ephemeroids have their own rhythm of life, different from the original schedule of development of other plants. They bloom in full bloom only in the spring, and the summer for them is the time of withering.

The period most conducive to their development is early spring. At this time of year, the maximum amount of light is observed in the forest, as shrubs and trees have not yet acquired their thick green cover. In addition, in this period the soil is optimally saturated with moisture. As for the high summer temperature, the ephemeroids do not need it at all. All these plants are perennial. They do not perish after their overhead part withers. Living underground roots are represented by tubers, bulbs or rhizomes. These organs act as receptacles of nutrients, mainly starch. That is why stems, leaves and flowers appear so early and grow so rapidly.

Ephemeroids are widely distributed in broad-leaved oak forests. In total there are about ten species. Their flowers are painted in bright purple, blue, yellow colors. During flowering ephemeroids form a dense beautiful carpet.

Moss

The broad-leaved forests of Russia are the site of the growth of various types of mosses. Unlike the taiga forests in which these plants form a dense green soil cover, the mosses in the oak groves cover the soil not so widely. The role of moss in broad-leaved forests is rather modest. The main reason is the fact that the leaf litter of deciduous forest is destructive to these plants.

Fauna

Animals of broad-leaved forests in Russia are ungulates, predators, insectivores, rodents and bats. The greatest diversity is observed in those territories that are untouched by man. Thus, in broadleaf forests, you can see roe deer, wild boar, deer, spotted and noble deer, moose. A squad of predators is represented by foxes, wolves, martens, ermines and weasels. Broad-leaved forests, the fauna of which is rich and diverse, are home to beavers, squirrels, muskrats and nutrias. In addition, these areas are inhabited by mice, rats, moles, hedgehogs, earth shrews, snakes, lizards and marsh turtles.

Birds of broad-leaved forests - larks, finches, chiffchaff, tits, flycatchers, swallows, starlings. There also live crows, rooks, black grouse, woodpeckers, claws, jackdaws, hazel grouses. Birds of prey are represented by hawks, owls, owls, owls and moons. Marshes are a home for waders, cranes, herons, gulls, ducks and geese.

In the past, deciduous forests were inhabited by bison. Now, unfortunately, there are a few dozen of them left. These animals are protected by law. They live in Belovezhskaya Pushcha (in the Republic of Belarus), in the Prioksko-Terrasniy Reserve (Russian Federation), in some countries of Western Europe and in Poland. Several animals were transported to the Caucasus. There they are neighbors with bison.

The number of noble deer has also undergone a change. They became much less because of the barbaric actions of man. Mass deforestation and plowing of fields have become disastrous for these beautiful animals. Deer can reach two and a half meters in length and three hundred forty kilograms of weight. They, as a rule, live in small herds of up to ten animals. In most cases, the female is predominant. Together with her, she lives and her offspring.

In autumn, males collect a kind of harem. Reminiscent of the sound of the trumpet, their roar is carried about three or four kilometers around. The most successful deer, who won the battles of their rivals, can gather around themselves up to twenty females. So another type of reindeer herd is formed. At the beginning of the summer season the deer are born. They appear in light weighing eight to eleven kilograms. Up to six months they are experiencing intense growth. One-year-old males acquire horns.

Deer feed on grass, leaves and shoots of trees, mushrooms, lichens, reeds, bitter wormwood. But the needles in their food is not good. In the wild, deer live for about fifteen years. In captivity, this figure is doubled.

Beavers are another inhabitants of broad-leaved forests. The most favorable conditions for them are observed in Europe, North America, and Asia. The maximum recorded weight of this animal is thirty kilograms, and the body length is one meter. Bobrov distinguishes a massive body and flattened tail. The membranes between the fingers of the hind legs help to lead an aquatic life. The color of the fur can vary from light brown to black. Lubricating your hair with a special secret, beavers are protected from getting wet. When immersed in water, the ears of this animal fold, and the nostrils are closed. The economical use of air helps him stay under water for up to fifteen minutes. Beavers prefer to settle on the shores of lakes and old towns, as well as rivers with a slow current. They are attracted by abundant coastal and aquatic vegetation. The house of beavers is a hole or a kind of hut, the entrance to which is under the water surface. Dams these animals are built in the event that the water level is unstable. Thanks to these structures, the flow is regulated, which allows you to enter the dwelling from the water. Biting of branches and even large trees is given to beavers easily. So, an aspen five to seven centimeters in diameter is amenable to these animals in two minutes. Their favorite food is reed. In addition, they are not averse to enjoying iris, a water lily, a jug. Beavers live in families. Young people go in search of a couple in the third year of life.

Wild pigs are another typical inhabitants of broad-leaved forests. They have a huge head and a very strong long snout. The most powerful weapons of these animals are sharp triangular fangs, which are bent upward and backward. The sight of boars is not very good, but it is compensated by excellent hearing and sharp sense of smell. Large individuals reach a weight of three hundred kilograms. The body of this animal is protected by a dark-brown color. It is very strong.

Boars are excellent runners and swimmers. These animals are able to overcome a swimming pool of water, the width of which is several kilometers. The basis of their diet are plants, but we can say that boars are omnivorous. Their favorite delicacy is acorns and nuts of beech, they will not refuse from frogs, mice, chicks, insects and snakes.

Representatives of reptiles

Broad-leaved forests are inhabited by horrors, vipers, copperfinches, spindles, green and viviparous lizards. The danger to humans is only vipers. Many people mistakenly believe that copperheads are also poisonous, but this is not so. The most numerous reptiles of broad-leaved forests are snakes.

Features of the relief

The zone of broad-leaved forests (and mixed forests) in the European part of Russia forms its own triangle, the base of which lies at the western borders of the country, and the summit rests on the Ural Mountains. Since this territory was not once covered by continental ice during the Quaternary period, its relief is mostly hilly. The most obvious traces of the presence of the Valdai Glacier have been preserved in the north-west. There the zone of broad-leaved and mixed forests is characterized by chaotic heaps of hills, steep ridges, closed lakes and hollows. The southern part of the described territory is represented by secondary morainic plains, which were formed due to a decrease in the sloping surface of hilly areas. The relief of mixed and deciduous forests is characterized by the presence of sand plains of different areas. Their origin is water-glacial. They have undulation, sometimes you can find pronounced sand dunes.

Coniferous-deciduous forests of the Russian Plain

This zone is located in a temperate climatic zone. The climate there is relatively mild, wet. The soil of these territories is sod-podzolic. The proximity of the Atlantic Ocean determined the features of the relief. The river network in coniferous-broad-leaved forests is well developed. The reservoirs are large in area.

The activity of the bogging process is determined by the proximity of groundwater and a damp climate. The plants dominating in the grass cover have wide leaf blades.

Conclusion

Broad-leaved forests located in Europe are classified as endangered ecosystems. But even two or three centuries ago they were one of the most diverse on the planet and settled in most of Europe. Thus, in the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries they occupied an area equal to several million hectares. Today they are not more than one hundred thousand hectares.

In the early twentieth century, only fragments in the past of a vast broad-leaved belt remained unscathed. At the dawn of this century, attempts were made to grow oaks in the deserted territories. However, this turned out to be a rather complicated matter: the death of young oak groves was caused by constant droughts. At that time, research was conducted, led by the famous Russian geographer Dokuchaev. As a result, it was found that the failure to grow new trees is associated with large-scale deforestation, as this forever changed the hydrological regime and the climate of the territory.

To date, in the areas previously occupied by broad-leaved forests, secondary forests grow, as well as artificial plantations. They prevail in the coniferous trees. Unfortunately, as experts note, the dynamics and structure of natural oak forests are not subject to restoration.