Donna Latham - Coniferous Forests

Conifer comes from the Latin word conus, which means cone, and ferre, to bear.

coniferous: describes trees and bushes that produce their seeds in cones. Many coniferous trees have needles for leaves.

Northern Hemisphere: the half of the earth north of the equator.

deciduous: describes trees and bushes that shed their leaves each year.

There are two types of coniferous forests. Trees in closed-canopy forests grow tightly together. They shade the mossy carpet of the forest floor. Trees in open-canopy forests are scattered and widely spaced. Instead of velvety mosses, gray-green lichen sprawl over the ground.

Winters are long and bitterly cold. Temperatures plunge to -40 decrees Fahrenheit or colder (-40 decrees Celsius).

lichen: patchy plants that grow on rocks, trees, and other surfaces.

precipitation: any falling moisture, such as rain or snow.

decompose: to break down or rot.

humus: decaying matter made from dead plants and animals. Humus supplies soil with nutrients and helps soil retain water.

nutrients: substances that living things need to live and grow.

Summers only get as high as 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius). A brief growing season of three to four months sneaks in during the warmer, wetter months. Total precipitation in a year is 12 to 33 inches (30 to 85 centimeters).

Because of cool temperatures, dead plants and animals decompose slowly. This means that the soil has little humus, so it is low in nutrients for plants.

Lakes and swampy areas such as marshes and bogs cut through the coniferous forests. These wet places are perfect homes for millions and millions of insects.

Conifers are cone-bearing trees. Cones hold seeds and scaly needles. Many conifers, also called evergreens, remain green all year round. Evergreens that thrive in the coniferous forest include cedar, cypress, fir, pine, and spruce. Hardy deciduous trees, such as aspen, poplar, and birch, squeeze in here and there.

How do conifers adapt to survive long, dry winters?

Deep, dark-green coloring helps evergreens capture lots of the suns light for photosynthesis. A waxy coating on their needles protects them from drying out in winter winds.

evergreen: a tree that keeps its leaves or needles throughout the year.

photosynthesis:

the process through which plants create food, using light as a source of energy.