Forest Ecology  Biomes  All organisms living in a certain climate

Biomes  We already learned about biotic and abiotic  Abiotic would be the air, soil, rainfall  How many of you saw the movie Biodome?

Forests and Biomes  As we look at each Biome in Oregon, we will notice that there are different types of leaves for each forest

Leaf Type  Larger leaf; the more tropical climate  Smaller leaf; the more arid climate  Why do trees have needles?  Summer  The air in the crowns of the trees gets very hot in the summer  The needles have low transpiration (remember what that means)

Biomes in Oregon  We divide Oregon into four biomes  Coast Range  Willamette Valley Grasslands  Cascade Mountain Forests  Eastern Oregon High Desert

Coast Range  Dominated by conifer forests  Moist climate  Average rainfall is greater than Willamette Valley  Timber grows taller  Variety of animals and vegetation  Average rainfall is 80 inches per year

Willamette Valley Grasslands  Mild climate  Due to our close proximity to the Pacific Ocean  Enough rain to keep the fields green most of the year  Average four month growing season  Most things can grow because of the mild climate  Type of forest would be an Oak Savannah

Willamette Valley Grasslands  Wildlife  Many populations of wildlife because of the mild climate  Plants  Wet and moist fields  Plants need to be able to adapt to wet climates  Grass seed does well in the moist climate  Average rainfall is 40 inches per year

Cascade Mountain Forests  Grows some of the finest timber in the world  Dominated by Conifer forests  Primarily on the west side of the cascades  3 times the rainfall on the west side compared to the east side  As the air blows the clouds up the elevation, the rain is deposited and we end up with a very dry climate on the east side

Cascade Mountain Forests  This is called the Rain Shadow Effect  Douglas fir, western hemlock and western redcedar all thrive in the moist climate  Woody stems help the trees withstand the heavy snows in the winter  Trees help protect the more delicate plants that grow beneath them  Leaf size is a fair indicator of climate

Cascade Mountain Forests  Animals have to adapt to cold winters and snow  Some animals hibernate  Bears  Squirrels  Some move to lower elevations  Elk  Deer  Average rainfall is 66 inches per year

Cascade Mountain Forests  As we crest the summit of the cascades we find something very interesting  The change of vegetation  Alpine fir  Grand fir  Ponderosa pine  Juniper  Which leads us to our next biome…

Eastern Oregon Desert  Very harsh biome compared to the Cascade or Willamette Valley  Little rainfall  Extreme temperature ranges  Growing season can be as little as a few weeks  Plants that do grow have extensive root systems  Plants have small needles or leaves to reduce water loss through transpiration

Eastern Oregon Desert  Many animals are cold blooded to adjust to the outside temperature  Hibernation during the winter is common  Some animals Aestevate (go dormant) during the hot summer  Reptiles  Insects  Average rainfall is 10 inches per year  Dominated by Juniper forests

Average Rainfall  Coast Range  Tidewater: 91.4  Falls City: 68  Hoskins: 68.8  Valsetz: 119  Dallas: 49.2

Average Rainfall  Willamette Valley  Philomath: 40.6  Corvallis: 39.6  Albany: 42  Eugene: 36.8  Jefferson: 41.4  Salem: 39.2

Average Rainfall  Cascade Forests  Mehama: 65.8  Cascadia: 62.6  Detroit Dam: 86.6  Foster: 52.9  Stayton: 51.6  Santiam Pass: 77.3

Average Rainfall  Eastern Oregon  Sisters: 14.4  Redmond: 8.6  Madras: 11.9  Bend: 9.5  Vale: 9.1  Baker City: 10.9

Average Rainfall  Coast Range:  Willamette Valley: 39.9  Cascade Forest: 66.1  Eastern Oregon: 10.7