Coniferous Forest
By: Jordan Heatherly
Salyer Period 3
APES
Locations
• Coniferous forests are found
mostly in Canada, and Asia.
However, they are also
commonly found in the US,
and Europe.
• Northern boreal forests, a
type of coniferous forest, are
typically found between 50
and 60 degrees North
latitudes
• Temperate coniferous
forests, another type, are
typically found in lower
latitudes of North America,
Europe, Asia, or even in
higher elevations of
mountains.
• Coniferous forestsconsidered the largest
terrestrial biome in the
world
Precipitation
• The average coniferous forest receives 300
to 900 millimeters of precipitation per year.
• However, there have been times that up to
2,000 millimeters were recorded in only one
year.
• The precipitation in these areas, due to the
long, extremely cold winters, is usually
snow.
• During the moderately warm, moist
summers, it has a better chance of being a
very cold rain.
• Precipitation depends on the location of the
forest; In lower latitudes, precipitation is
more evenly distributed than in higher
latitudes.
Temperature
• The average temperature of a coniferous
forest ranges from -40 degrees Celsius to 20
degrees Celsius, which is converted to -40
degrees Fahrenheit to 68 degrees
Fahrenheit.
• The average temperature during summer
time is around 10 degrees Celsius, or 50
degrees Fahrenheit.
• Coniferous forests usually consist of a more
subarctic climate
Amount of Light
• Winter: 6-8 hours a day
• Summer: up to 19 hours a day
• However, the sun does not bring much
warmth.
• Also, due to the excess amount of trees, most
of the light stops at the tops of the trees and
does not protrude through the canopies.
• Because of this, little plant life exists below the
trees, besides small lichens, and mosses.
Air Quality
• Air pollution majorly effects
the air quality in coniferous
forests
• It kills off the conifer trees,
which provides shelter for
animals, homes for animals,
oxygen for humans and
animals, etc.
• It greatly affects
environments and their
inhabitants in multiple ways
Nutrient level
• The nutrient level is very poor.
• The soil beneath the tall canopies does not get
much sunlight, and has an excess amount of
pine needles from the conifer trees.
• The soil there is also very acidic, causing the
soil to not have nearly enough nutrients to
successfully sustain other plant life, not
counting the small lichens, mosses, and
obviously, the trees.
Common species
Vegetation
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Mostly conifers, trees that grow
needles instead of leaves and
cones instead of flowers. Conifers
tend to be evergreen- bare
needles all year long
Needles help trees survive in cold
or dry areas.
Most commonly found conifers in
the coniferous forest- spruces,
pines, furs
Other species- lichens and mosses
(cover ground)
Plant diversity= low, due to cold
temperature and soil moisture is
frozen
Animals
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Woodpeckers
Hawks
Moose
Bears
Weasels
Lynxes
Foxes
Wolves
Deer
Hares
Chipmunks
Shrews
Bats
Endangered species
Vegetation
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Santa Cruz Cyprus
Florida Torreya
Wawae’iole (moss)
Diellia Falcata (fern)
Aleutian Shield Fern
Animals
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Grizzly Bear
Spotted Owl
Woodland Caribou
Siberian Tiger
Siberian Crane
Man’s influence
Cause-Effect
• Extensive logging-loss of
many trees and life, and
may eventually cause
complete disappearance
(endangered)
• Burning of fossil fuelspollution some coniferous
forests (slowly kills all life,
and ruins environments
and habitats)
Sources
• http://www.appsychology.com/Book/Biological/nervous_sy
stem.htm
• http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Experiments/Biome/bioc
oniferous.php
• http://www.temperatureworld.com/ctable1.htm
• http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/glossary/gloss5/biome/for
ests.html
• http://www.ehow.com/about_5299579_endangeredanimals-coniferous-forests.html
• http://www.ehow.com/facts_5860827_endangered-plantsconiferous-forests.html
• http://www.fs.fed.us/psw/publications/documents/psw_
gtr195/psw_gtr195_2_10_Temple.pdf