154 CHAPTER 7 Climate and Terrestrial Biodiversity
Figure 7-15 Climate graphs showing typical variations in annual temperature (red) and precipitation (blue) in tropi-
cal, temperate, and cold (northern coniferous and boreal) forests. Top photo: the closed canopy of a tropical rain
forest in the western Congo Basin of Gabon, Africa. Middle photo: a temperate deciduous forest in the U.S. state of
Rhode Island during the fall. (Photo 4 in the Detailed Contents shows this same area of forest during winter.) Bot-
tom photo: a northern coniferous forest in the Malheur National Forest and Strawberry Mountain Wilderness in the
U.S. state of Oregon. Question: What month of the year has the highest temperature and the lowest rainfall for
each of the three types of forest?350300
250200
15010050030
20
10
0
–10
–20
–30
–40MonthMean monthly temperature (°C)Mean monthly precipitation (mm)Tropical rain forest350300250200
15010050030
20
10
0
–10
–20
–30
–40
Mean monthly temperature (°C)Mean monthly precipitation (mm)Temperate deciduous forestFreezing pointNorthern evergreen coniferous forest (boreal forest, taiga)350300
250
200150
10050
030
20
10
0
–10
–20
–30
Mean monthly temperature (–40°C)Mean monthly precipitation (mm)Freezing pointFreezing pointJ F MAM J J A S O N DMonthJ F MAM J J A S O N DMonthJ F MAM J J A S O N DMartin Harvey/Peter Arnold, Inc.Paul W. Johnson/Biological Photo ServiceDave Powell, USDA Forest Service