Forests
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A forest is an area with a high density of trees (or, historically,
a wooded area set aside for hunting). These plant communities cover
large areas of the globe and function as carbon dioxide sinks,
animal habitats, hydrologic flow modulators, and soil conservers,
constituting one of the most important aspects of the Earth's
biosphere
Forests can be found in all regions capable of sustaining tree
growth, at altitudes up to the tree-line, except where natural fire
frequency is too high, or where the environment has been impaired by
natural processes or by human activities. As a general rule, forests
dominated by angiosperms (broadleaf forests) are more species-rich
than those dominated by gymnosperms (conifer or needle leaf
forests), although exceptions exist (for example, species-poor aspen
and birch stands in northern latitudes). Forests sometimes contain
many tree species within a small area (as in tropical rain and
temperate deciduous forests), or relatively few species over large
areas (e.g., taiga and arid montage coniferous forests). |
Forests are often home to many animal and plant species, and biomass
per unit area is high compared to other vegetation communities. Much
of this biomass occurs below-ground in the root systems and as
partially decomposed plant detritus. The woody component of a forest
contains lignin, which is relatively slow to decompose compared with
other organic materials such as cellulose or carbohydrate.
Forests are differentiated from woodlands by the extent of canopy
coverage: in a forest the branches and foliage of separate trees
often meet or interlock, although there can be gaps of varying sizes
within an area referred to as forest. A woodland has a more
continuously open canopy, with trees spaced further apart, which
allows more sunlight to penetrate to the ground between them.
Among the major forested biomes are:
rain forest (tropical and temperate)
taiga
temperate hardwood forest
tropical dry forest |
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