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Article: Forests.
- Article from:
- Science Weekly
- Article date:
- March 13, 2006
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Science Weekly, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Background
The first forests, in the Carboniferous Period, consisted of giant horsetails and club mosses. By the start of the Jurassic Period, conifers had appeared and during the Tertiary Period broadleaf trees with flowers were common.
Today, the world's forests are home to a variety of trees, plants, animals, insects, and microscopic life. This is important, as a forest is an ecosystem and children will need to understand not only the trees, but also the web of life that makes up a forest. Green plants conduct photosynthesis. They are the primary producers in a forest. The animals that eat these plants are termed the primary consumers (or ...