Temperate LEVELED BOOK • U

Deciduous Forests
A Reading A–Z Level U Leveled Book
Word Count: 1,188

Connections
Writing and Art
Make a travel brochure persuading people
to visit a temperate deciduous forest. Include
facts from outside sources as well as this text.
Science and Art
Draw a diagram of the five levels of a
temperate deciduous forest. Label the
plants in each level.

Written by Kira Freed

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 Glossary
adaptation (n.) a change in an organism or species
that allows it to survive better in its
environment (p . 9)

dormant (adj.) not active but able to become active again

(p . 10)

equator (n.) an imaginary line that circles Earth

halfway between the North and South
Poles (p . 5)

fertile (adj.) producing or able to produce a lot

of plants or crops (p . 8)

fungi (n.) plural of fungus; living things that grow

on organic material and produce spores
(p . 8)

herbivores (n.) animals that only eat plants (p . 12)

humid (adj.) having a lot of water in the air (p . 7)

landscapes (n.) the visible features of areas of land,

seen as a whole (p . 4)

mosses (n.) small, soft plants that grow on trees,

rocks, or moist ground (p . 10) Written by Kira Freed
omnivores (n.) animals that eat both plants and animals [Link]
(p . 12)

precipitation water that falls to the ground, such as

Focus Question
(n.) hail, sleet, rain, or snow (p . 7)
What are the features of
temperate of or relating to a climate or region that temperate deciduous forests?
(adj.) has moderate, or mild, temperatures (p . 4)

16
 Words to Know
adaptation humid
dormant landscapes
equator mosses
fertile omnivores
fungi precipitation
herbivores temperate
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Stock Photo; page 9: © Mark Caunt/Shutterstock; page 10 (top): © Bill Coster/
Magnificent Beauty
ardea/Mary Evans Picture Library Ltd/age fotostock; page 10 (bottom):
© Alexei Poselenov/[Link]; page 11 (main): © Anna Kucherova/ Temperate deciduous forests stand out in every
123RF; page 12 (top): © shaunwilkinson/123RF; page 12 (bottom): © William Wise/
[Link]; page 13 (top): © Christy Hader/[Link]; page 13
season . Frost, snow, and sunlight turn bare forests
(bottom): © [Link]/Canon_Bob; page 14: © Photo by Obbchao/Moment/
Getty Images; page 15 (top left): © [Link]/Myslitel; page 15 (bottom left):
into winter wonderlands . In spring, the awakening
© [Link]/mediagfx; page 15 (bottom right): © [Link]/michieldb of dormant trees and flowers provides welcome
signs of new life . Summer heat and rain bring
an explosion of green growth . Vibrant fall colors
change landscapes into beautiful works of art .

Temperate Deciduous Forests If you have a chance to visit a temperate

Level U Leveled Book Correlation
deciduous forest, especially in fall, be sure to go .
© Learning A–Z LEVEL U
Written by Kira Freed
Fountas & Pinnell Q Gazing at the brilliantly colored trees or walking
All rights reserved. Reading Recovery 40 on a carpet of crunchy leaves is an experience
[Link]
DRA 40 you’ll never forget .

Temperate Deciduous Forests • Level U 15

Hikers in South Korea enjoy the fall colors.

People
People have lived in temperate deciduous
forests for many thousands of years . Most of
this biome has been changed a great deal from its
original condition . For at least five thousand years,
people have been making use of its resources . Table of Contents
These include fertile soil for growing crops and A Blaze of Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
hardwood trees for fuel and building . Today,
The Temperate Deciduous Forest Biome . . . . . . . 5
these forests are one of the most populated
biomes in the world . People continue to use their Climate and Soil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
resources, although in some places the forests
Plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
have grown back .
Animals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Temperate deciduous forests are popular
recreation spots . Hiking, boating, fishing, People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
camping, and wildlife watching all bring people
Magnificent Beauty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
to this biome . In addition, the fall colors are an
irresistible attraction . Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

14 Temperate Deciduous Forests • Level U 3

 A Blaze of Color Animals in this
Fall is a special time of year . The weather gets biome have adaptations
cooler, and many people feel more comfortable to help them through
being outside . In some parts of the world, this the harsh winters . They
season has special appeal beyond the weather . need more energy to
As temperatures start to cool down, the first stay warm but have
colorful hints of autumn appear on trees . Before a harder time finding
long, brilliant displays of yellows, golds, oranges, food since trees are
and reds paint the countryside . dormant . Some animals,
such as squirrels, store A red fox stays warm in its den
Some people only need to step outside their on a cold winter day.
food for the winter ahead
door to see these glorious landscapes . Others may of time . Others, such as black bears and American
fly thousands of miles toads, hibernate so they won’t need as much
to view them . One thing energy . Another way to survive the winter is to
is certain: this amazing reduce heat loss . Red foxes grow a thicker coat
event is not to be missed . of fur and often stay protected from the cold
Brilliant fall colors are in dens . Mice and other
one of the greatest shows rodents stay warm under
on Earth . They’re also a a blanket of snow .
telltale sign of temperate
deciduous forests . Leaves change color in a forest Woodpeckers and
in Germany. most owls are year-round
residents of this biome .
Word Wise Many songbirds only live
The word deciduous comes from a Latin word that means here during the warmer
“to fall off.” Deciduous trees lose their leaves in winter. They
months . In winter, they
are sometimes referred to as leaf-shedding trees. To shed Woodpeckers live
means to give off as part of a normal life process, such as in deciduous forests migrate to warmer
a snake shedding its skin or a cat shedding hair. in the eastern United places where food is
States all year long.
more plentiful .

4 Temperate Deciduous Forests • Level U 13

 Animals
Many different kinds of animals live in
temperate deciduous forests . This is in part
because of the many
kinds of plants available
to eat . Another reason
is the variety of habitats
with water, including Autumn leaves color the landscape in Quebec, Canada.
lakes, ponds, rivers,
and streams . The Temperate Deciduous Forest Biome

Predators include Different types of environments cover Earth’s

Eastern gray squirrels feed
bobcats, foxes, mountain on the nuts, buds, and surface . These regions and the communities
lions, timber wolves, and flowers of deciduous trees. of plants and animals that live there are called
coyotes . Large herbivores include white-tailed biomes . Grasslands, rainforests, deserts, and
deer as well as moose in some areas . Rabbits, oceans are examples of biomes . So are temperate
squirrels, and chipmunks are among the smaller deciduous forests .
herbivores . Omnivores include skunks, raccoons, Many factors play a part in creating Earth’s
opossums, and black bears . biomes . Two important ones are latitude—how far
Snakes, frogs, toads, a location is from the equator—and elevation, or
and turtles are common, height above sea level . Both help determine how
as are woodpeckers, warm or cool a place is . Climate, land, and water
cardinals, hawks, owls, are also important building blocks of biomes, as
and many other birds . are plants and animals .
This biome is also Temperate deciduous forests are large areas
home to many insects where deciduous trees grow . The leaves on these
Before regal moths mature fully,
they eat deciduous leaves. and spiders . trees change color in fall and drop to the ground
in winter .

12 Temperate Deciduous Forests • Level U 5

 Earth’s Temperate Deciduous Forest Regions Why Leaves Change Color
The leaves of deciduous trees
C OCEAN
ARCTI mainly conduct photosynthesis in spring
Arctic Circle and summer. They use sunlight and
EUROPE chlorophyll, a chemical mostly found in
NORTH

N C
ASIA leaves, to turn water and carbon dioxide
TI
AMERICA N
T L A CEA Tropic of gas into a sugar that gives the trees energy.
A O Cancer
PA Leaves are green
OCCIFI AFRICA
EA C IN
Equator because they’re full of chlorophyll.
N SOUTH OC DIA Tropic of They also contain orange, yellow, or
AMERICA EA N Capricorn
N brown chemicals that are hidden by
AUSTRALIA
the green chlorophyll. In fall, when
Temperate deciduous forest the weather gets cooler and trees
Antarctic Circle receive less sunlight, photosynthesis
ANTARCTICA slows down. Leaves stop
making chlorophyll,
About 7 percent of Earth’s land is temperate deciduous forests. Australia,
so they lose their green color. As a result,
New Zealand, southern South America, and Washington State have some
areas with deciduous trees, but they aren’t considered part of this biome. the hidden colors start to show.
When the weather gets cold
Temperate deciduous forests are located in the enough in fall, the temperature starts
to drop below freezing. Before the
northern temperate zone . This latitude band is in
sap inside the leaves begins to freeze,
the Northern Hemisphere between the cold polar the trees shed their leaves in order
zone and hot tropical zone . Much of the eastern to protect themselves from damage.
third of the United States is in this biome, as Deciduous trees are bare in winter. They use the food they
well as a small part of Canada . Large areas of stored in spring and summer to survive. When spring comes
and temperatures warm up, new leaves grow.
temperate deciduous forest are also found in
Europe, Japan, eastern Russia, China, and Korea .

Temperate deciduous forests may border

many other biomes . They may be located next
to grasslands, semiarid deserts, taiga (cold
forests), or subtropical forests .

6 Temperate Deciduous Forests • Level U 11

 Rhododendron
shrubs thrive under
the canopy of a
forest in Wales.

The level under the canopy contains shorter

trees, such as dogwoods, along with saplings—
A beech forest in Germany comes Snow decorates bare deciduous
young, slender trees . Beneath them is the shrub to life in spring. trees in winter.
level, which may include rhododendron, sumac,
and honeysuckle . Next comes the herb level, Climate and Soil
which contains ferns, grasses,
Temperate deciduous forests are located in
and wildflowers . Mosses,
regions that receive both very warm and very cold
fungi, and lichens grow on
weather . As a result, this biome has four seasons,
the forest floor, or ground .
each with its own unique personality . Winters
They also grow on tree trunks .
are cold, often with low precipitation, although
In addition to leaf shape, it varies from place to place . Temperatures and
trees in temperate deciduous precipitation both rise in spring and reach their
forests have other adaptations peak in summer, which can be quite humid .
Ferns grow in a birch forest.
that help them survive . Autumn is cool and crisp, with a drop in
Dropping their leaves and becoming dormant precipitation . Temperatures throughout the
in winter allows them to conserve energy and year generally range between –30°C (–22°F)
withstand the cold . Thick bark also offers trees and 30°C (86°F) .
protection from low temperatures .
Temperate deciduous forests have the second-
Plants in lower levels of the forest have highest precipitation per year of any biome,
adaptations, too . For example, ferns and after rainforests . Roughly 75 to 150 centimeters
wildflowers grow quickly in early spring before (30–59 in .) of precipitation fall each year . In winter,
the canopy fills out and blocks too much sunlight . precipitation often falls as snow, sleet, or hail .

10 Temperate Deciduous Forests • Level U 7

In late fall, leaf litter covers the ground in a temperate deciduous forest. The shape and texture of the leaves of deciduous
trees make them easy for plant eaters to digest.
Soils in temperate deciduous forests tend to
be deep, dark, and fertile . This is a result of trees Plants
dropping their leaves in autumn . The leaves build Temperate deciduous forests are also known
up on the forest floor, creating a dense layer of as temperate broadleaf forests . Most of the trees
leaf litter . Fungi, bacteria, and other underground in this biome have wide, flat leaves instead of thin
organisms break down this leafy layer, releasing needles . Leaf shape is an adaptation that helps
nutrients into the soil . the trees survive . Because the leaves have a large
surface area, they capture a great deal of sunlight
Do You Know? for photosynthesis . In this process, plants make
In some temperate regions, food from sunlight, water, air, and chlorophyll,
the soil contains more sand a chemical .
and fewer nutrients. Forests
in these regions often have Forests in this biome generally have five levels
mixed forest in fall a mix of deciduous and of plants . The canopy includes the tallest trees,
evergreen trees. Evergreens,
which receive the greatest amount of sunlight .
which can live in weaker soils,
lose and grow their leaves The fertile soil nourishes many hardwood trees,
throughout the year instead including oak, elm, maple, hickory, beech, and
of once each year. Forests with ash . Some sunlight gets through the dense canopy,
both kinds of trees are often which allows many species of plants to grow in
mixed forest in winter referred to as mixed forests.
the lower levels .

8 Temperate Deciduous Forests • Level U 9