Boreal Forests near Östersund Sweden

I knew that I wanted to travel to a boreal forest biome to research that environment so I researched places where boreal forests and I came across this map:

( Photo Credit: The Boreal Forest Biome- Marrieta College)

All boreal forests are located in the Northern Hemisphere due to climates. That's why boreal forests are sometimes referred to Taiga which is the Russian word for the forest that lies to the South of the Tundra.  I decided that a good place to research the boreal forests was in Östersund Sweden. Östersund is located in lower Northern Sweden and is referred to as "winter city"for their attractions for skiers. 

(Photo Credit: Östersund- Wikipedia)

Östersund is located next to a lake and I stayed by the lake and drove out to the forest on the outskirts for my research daily. I did some background research on boreal forests and the average precipitation  is anywhere from 20cm to 200cm per year. I also researched the climate in this city to see what I should pack for the summer. Here is the city's climate data:

(Photo Credit: Wikipedia)

Here are the temperatures in general for a boreal forest biome:

(Photo Credit- Marietta College)

 It is one of the sunniest cities in the summer with a record of 654 hours of sun in 2007 and however has very few hours of sunlight in the winter. The hours of sunlight exposure across a latitude are generally the same. For all the hours of sunlight It does get snow and becomes very cold in the winter as all boreal forests do and the coniferous trees are adapted to that. Coniferous trees are by definition trees that bear cones. These trees have needles which helps to shed snow easily. Their thick waxy texture is actually an adaptation to resist the cold and to keep water in. These needles which spread out to cover surface area help in photosynthesis. Photosynthesis can occur in even the winter. If the temperature rises above freezing then the productivity increases. Types of coniferous trees are firs and pines. Permanent shade from the evergreens in dense parts of the forest keeps evaporation to a minimum so there is a lot of water retained in the summer and provides a cool wet air feeling.

Pine Tree (Photo Credit: Ohio Public Library)

Fir Tree- (Photo Credit: Tree in a Box)

Some other plants I saw included the European buckthorn which produces berries that can be food for the birds and animals in the area. An adaption that a lot of these berries have is their bitter taste that defer some species from eating them. It is a defense mechanism for the plants especially if the attacking species' digestive system can damage the seeds.

(Photo Credit: theborealforest.org)

I also saw lingonberry and cloudberry bushes that are only found in Scandinavia. 

 Cloudberries ( Photo Credit: wikipedia)

In addition to these pretty bushes I saw with berries, I also saw a lot of mosses and lichens. Mosses and lichens also contribute to the production of nutrients and oxygen through photosynthesis. Lichens also have a fungi component that decomposes. Lichens and fungi have symbiotic relationships because they prevent some hosts from getting diseases and store water while there is photosynthesis.

(Photo Credit: Wikipedia)

Other fungi that were in the area were mushrooms.

( Photo Credit: Swedish Freak)

Decomposition takes place very slowly in boreal forests generally because of the low temperatures. Soils in boreal forests have the clays and other heavier minerals that migrate to lower levels. The top layer of the soil usually has a a lighter sandier texture that is sometimes refereed to podrols which is the Russian word for ash. This sandy layer is usually densely covered with fallen biomass like leafs and pine needles. Boreal forests sometimes have high acidity levels in the soils too and are nutrient poor.

Some of the wildlife in the area include Moose, Red Deer, Grey Wolves, Beavers, European Badgers, Brown Bears, Wolverines, Lynx, Arctic Foxes, Taiga Shrews and a Snowshoe Hare.

(Photo Credits: Wild Sweden) 

These animals have helpful adaptations to help them survive. For example the larger they are the more efficient they are at keeping body heat. The Snowshoe Hare is unique because it changes its fur to camouflage itself during different seasons. When there is snow the Hare changes its coat from white to a brown color. The Snowshoe Hare also has large paws that are adapted to help not sink into the snow. Moose and deer also have habits to stay close to water and spend time in the water during the summers to protect them from black flies. Most birds travel south for the winter because they don't have other means of surviving the harsh cold. Bears hibernate through the winter, and other animals create burrows and tunnels and store their food. Many of these animals are not dependent on each other so there are few symbiotic relationships. A symbiotic relationship in a boreal forest can be how the squirrels get protection in the trees and it is a form of commensalism so the tree is not affected.

Here are some of the general food webs for a boreal forest biome

(ecoplexity organization)

(wikispace)

(AFNWS)

Primary producers are the plants that use the sunlight in photosynthesis. These producers get eaten by primary consumers which are small animals like the Taiga Shrews that are herbivores. The consumers usually get eaten by secondary consumers which are carnivores but are still smaller like Hawks and the Arctic Foxes. These secondary consumers get consumed by large predators like the Wolves and the Lynx. 

Human influence in boreal forests pose threats like hunting, destruction of habitat, logging and the exploration of natural gas. Exploration of natural gas is one of the biggest issues with more demand in places like Alaska, Canada and Russia. 

My visit to Östersund was very fun and educational. I highly recommend for people to go there even when it is not winter and a world class skiing attraction.

I used these sources to come up with the research

http://www.wcupa.edu/aceer/amigos/cd/adaptations.htm

http://www.wildsweden.com/about/the-wild-animals/

http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/boreal.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_symbiotic_relationships

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%96stersund

http://www.swedishfreak.com/

http://www.borealforest.org/index.php