Biome Information Sort Answer Key
Abbreviations to use:
Tropical Rain Forest – TRF
Desert – D
Taiga/Boreal Forest - Ta
Temperate Deciduous Forest – TDF
Grassland – G
Tundra - Tu
Description of the biome:
Taiga
1. Fog, snow, 3 seasons, mostly conifers (pine trees),
sometimes found on Mountain tops
TDF
2. 4 Seasons, leaves that fall off trees, trees that
experience “dormancy”
TRF
3. Abundance of insects for pollination, nutrient poor
soil, high levels of biodiversity and has 4 distinct layers.
Desert
4. Can have flowering plants, animals that live here burrow and are nocturnal, typically
very hot in the day and cold at night
Grassland 5. Large grazing animals, hot summers and very cold winters, little to no trees, raging fires
occur frequently, Americans crossed in covered wagons
Tu
6. Little precipitation, very short growing season, many animals are white because they
have adapted to their surroundings
Precipitation in the biome:
TRF
A. Yearly average precipitation range: 300-660 cm
Desert
B. Yearly average precipitation range: Less than 25 cm
Grassland C. Yearly average precipitation range: 25-75 cm
TDF
D. Yearly average precipitation range: 75-150 cm
Taiga
E. Yearly average precipitation range: 25-100 cm
Tu
F. Yearly average precipitation range: 40 cm
Plant Adaptations to live in the Biome:
Tu
J. Plants that live here grow and reproduce quickly to take advantage of the short growing
season. Most have short root systems due to frozen ground underneath and do not get very tall.
Grassland K. The plants here have deep root systems so when the fires come and burn the plant, the
roots remains unharmed. They also grow from the roots up so when grazing animals munch off the
top, they can keep growing.
Taiga
L. This biome has tall trees that are A-shaped so snow falls right off, waxy needle-like
leaves to store water and thick bark to protect them from fires.
Desert
M. Plants have pleats that expand to hold excess water and will have either extensive
shallow root systems to absorb as much water as possible when it rains or very deep roots to reach
underground water. Many plants have sharp spikes and spines to discourage animals from taking a
bite.
TDF
N. Trees will lose their leaves to reduce threat of disease and decrease water loss during
cooler months. The dead leaves will serve as a source of nutrients for the roots of the tree when they
decay on the ground.
TRF
O. Many plants have drip tips and grooved leaves, and some leaves have oily coatings to
shed water. Leaves are very large to absorb as much sunlight as possible. Some trees have leaf stalks
that turn with the movement of the sun so they always absorb the maximum amount of light. Many
of the trees have straight trunks, buttresses for support and have smooth, thin bark.
Animal Adaptations to live in the biome:
Desert
7. Most of the animals that live here are small nocturnal (only active at night) carnivores.
They burrow into the ground or live in caves to stay cool. Some have large ears to cool off their blood,
or will urinate on themselves (called urohydrosis) to cool their bodies.
Taiga
8. Animals in this biome tend to be predators and feed off smaller herbivores. Many insect
eating birds come to the area to breed due to the generous amount of insects that live here in the
warmer months.
TRF
9. This biome is home to many animals that are suited to living their entire lives in trees.
Other characteristics that animals have here are bright colors and sharp patterns, loud vocalizations,
and diets heavy on fruits. This biome has many species that have not even been discovered yet!
Tundra
10. Animals change color to blend in with different seasons. Many have thick fir or warm
feathers. Some animals migrate to warmer locations during cold months. During the warm months
there are many insects that become active in this biome. They keep themselves from freezing by
replacing the water in their bodies with a chemical like antifreeze that allows them to survive under
the snow during the winter.
Grassland 11. Many animals here grazing animals with special bacteria in their gut to help them
break down all the grass they eat. Smaller animals have little defense from predators so they either
form herds or make burrows.
TDF
12. The animals adapt to the climate by hibernating in the winter and living off the land in
the other three seasons. The animals in this biome eat many of the plants found here. Also the trees
provide shelter for them. Most of the animals are camouflaged to look like the ground.
Pictures of the biome:
a. Tundra
c. Taiga
e. Desert
b. TDF
d. TRF
f. Grassland
Where is the biome found?
u. Desert
v. TRF
Equator
w. Taiga
y. TDF
x. Grassland
z. Tundra
Review Questions:
1. Tropical Rain Forest, Temperate Deciduous Forest, Taiga, Grassland, Tundra, and Desert.
2. Tropical Rain Forest
3. Temperate Deciduous Forest
4. Desert
5. Grassland
6. Tundra
7. Boreal Forest