Temperate Rainforests Biome ( Warm Temperate )

A Temperate Rainforests Biome is a type of rainforest biome occurring in a temperate climate. To put it clearly, temperate rainforests experience vast amounts of rainfall, but feature a cooler average temperature compared to tropical rainforests.

Location

Green Landscapes along some coastlines in temperate regions.
The largest temperate rainforests grace the Pacific coast of North America, stretching all the way from Oregon to Alaska, covering an impressive 1,200 miles.
Smaller Temperate rainforests in other corners of the world, like the southeast coast of Chile in South America.
Discover additional coastal strips blessed with temperate rainforests in places like the U.K., New Zealand, Japan, South Australia, and Norway. Nature’s wonders truly span the globe.

Climate

Temperate rainforests are characterized by mild climates or temperatures. Essentially, these areas do not experience extremely cold or extremely hot temperatures. Temperate rainforests have two different seasons.
One season (winter) is quite long and wet, and the other (summer) is short, dry and foggy. Throughout the long wet season, the temperature hardly falls below freezing point, which is 0°C and 32°F.
Throughout the short, dry and foggy season, the temperature hardly exceeds 27°C or 80°F. This pretty much explains why this biome is referred to as temperate rainforest.
Also in summer, when it’s relatively dry, the weather is considerably cool as the fog supplies sufficient moisture to enable the rainforest to thrive. Ideally, the fog contributes 18-30 cm (7-12 in) of precipitation every summer.
These biomes are so mild due to their closeness to the ocean on one side and mountain ranges on the other.
During winter months, the ocean water emits heat, leaving the coastal areas warmer and absorbs heat during summer months, leaving the coastal areas cooler.

Precipitation

Considering the word ‘’rain” is found in the word ‘’rainforest,” it tells you right off that this biome receives plenty of rainfall.
The average annual precipitation of a temperate rainforest biome is 200cm.
In much warmer areas, the average precipitation goes up to about 350 cm annually.

Seasons

Temperate rainforests experience an extended growing season. As opposed to tropical rainforests, temperate rainforests experience major seasonal changes.
Animals living in the temperate rainforest must develop adaptation to the ever-changing seasons.
Animals that are not able to adapt migrate in the winter. Leaves of temperate rainforest trees change color and drop in the autumn.
They then regrow in spring. The broad, flats leaves of temperate rainforests trees lose water fast.
Winter months normally leave the ground frozen, making it hard for them to absorb water.
The result is a massive drop off of leaves. The trees in this biome stay dormant and blossom again during spring.

Natural Vegetation

In temperate rainforests, the plant life is arranged in two main layers – the emergent layer and the canopy layer. Unlike tropical rainforests, there are fewer layers in temperate rainforests, which include the understory layer and the forest floor with less vegetation.
The tallest trees in these rainforests have their leaves about 15 to 30 centimeters above the ground, with a mix of smaller trees and shrubs below, ranging from 5 to 10 meters in height. This unique structure allows more light to reach the forest floor compared to tropical rainforests.
During spring, when tree leaves are still growing, a significant amount of light penetrates to the forest floor. This abundance of light enables ground-level plant species to thrive, bloom, and produce fruits before late summer. As the season progresses, shade-loving plants, or sciophilus plants, start to grow. These plants have evolved efficient mechanisms to thrive in low-light conditions, allowing them to persist even when the canopy covers the forest floor entirely.
The undergrowth in temperate rainforests is rich and diverse, mainly composed of mosses, lichens, and ferns. The primary tree species in this biome include oaks, beeches, walnut trees, lime trees, sycamores, aspens, elms, tulip trees, and birches.

Animal Life

In the temperate rainforest biome, there’s a noticeable difference when compared to tropical rainforests. The variety of mammals is limited because the vegetation lacks the intricate layers found in tropical rainforests, and the plants here experience seasonal changes.
During the summer months, the animals in this ecosystem rely heavily on winged seeds and walnuts, which provide a long-lasting food source. Interestingly, fruits from trees like rose, apple, gooseberry, and Hawthorne all ripen around the same time, in late summer. These fruits are essential for the animals to store fat and sustain themselves through the season.
One remarkable feature of the temperate rainforest biome is its rich diversity of life. From frogs, turtles, insects, birds, spiders to salamanders, the ecosystem is teeming with different animal species. Notable bird species, including cardinals, broad-winged hawks, pleated woodpeckers, and snowy owls, call this biome their home.
Among the mammals present, you’ll find raccoons, porcupines, red foxes, white-tailed deer, and opossums. Each of these animals plays a unique role in maintaining the balance and thriving life in this fascinating biome.