Cape Cod's Biome: Temperate Coastal Broadleaf & Mixed Forest

Cape Cod, Massachusetts, falls within the temperate broadleaf and mixed forest biome (specifically the Northeastern Coastal Forests ecoregion).

Characteristics

• Climate: Humid continental/maritime—warm summers, cold winters, moderated by ocean.
• Vegetation: Mix of deciduous (oak, maple, hickory) and coniferous (pitch pine, white pine) forests; salt-tolerant shrubs (bayberry, beach plum) near shore; cranberry bogs in lowlands.
• Wildlife: White-tailed deer, red fox, coyote, rabbits; migratory birds (piping plover, terns); marine life (seals, whales offshore); reptiles/amphibians (box turtle, spring peeper).
• Soils: Sandy, acidic, glacial outwash—low fertility, good drainage.

Human Impact

Historic clearing for agriculture, then reforestation; now heavily suburbanized with protected areas (Cape Cod National Seashore, state forests). Tourism and conservation coexist.