Complete question:
Hot summers and cold winters, topsoil rich in organic material, annual precipitation of 75 to 125 cm (30-50 in), and many hardwood trees are characteristics of the:
A. temperate deciduous forest.
B. temperate grassland.
C. temperate rain forest.
D. boreal forest.
E. chaparral.
Answer:
A. temperate deciduous forest
Explanation:
Temperate deciduous forest
Temperate deciduous forest is one of the biomes that extends to the south of the boreal forest, expanding in regions where temperatures are not that cold, and precipitations are abundant. The temperate forest is not continuous, it extends between 30º and 60º latitude in both hemispheres, and along with the continental extremes, influenced by the oceans. Vegetation suffers changes through the four seasons, which are clearly differentiated. Temperate forest characterizes for having deciduous trees among other phanerophyte species. Due to environmental conditions, these plants need to lose their leaves every year during the cold and dry autumns and winters, as it is the most limiting period over the year. They need to store different nutrients that will be used for plant growth during the following spring. Foliage reappears again during spring and summer.
Winters are cold and summers are warm. Precipitations are abundant, between 750 and 1500 annual mm, and they are well distributed during the year. Usually, there is a small water deficit at the end of the summer, while during the spring there is water excedent in the ground. Soils are very fertile and deep, due to the leaves´ loss that provides nutrients to the soil and protects it from erosion.