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• Carbon cycle: Carbon enters the temperate forest ecosystem through the atmosphere. Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during photosynthesis. Animals consume plants and take in the carbon that is stored in the plant tissues. When plants and animals die, their bodies decompose and the carbon is released back into the atmosphere or soil.

• Nitrogen cycle: Nitrogen enters the temperate forest ecosystem through the atmosphere. Some nitrogen is also fixed by bacteria in the soil. Plants absorb nitrogen from the soil and use it to build proteins. Animals consume plants and take in the nitrogen that is stored in the plant tissues. When plants and animals die, their bodies decompose and the nitrogen is released back into the atmosphere or soil.

The following are some of the main plants and animals in the temperate forest ecosystem:

• Plants: Trees such as oak, maple, birch, and beech; shrubs such as rhododendron and laurel; wildflowers such as trillium and violets; ferns such as ferns and clubmosses; mosses such as sphagnum moss; fungi such as mushrooms and lichens.

• Animals: Deer, bears, wolves, foxes, coyotes, raccoons, squirrels, rabbits, mice, birds such as woodpeckers, warblers, and owls, amphibians such as frogs and toads, and reptiles such as snakes and turtles.

The temperate forest biome is a complex and interconnected ecosystem. The water, carbon, and nitrogen cycles play a vital role in the health and functioning of this ecosystem.