Terrestrial Biome Puzzle
Introduction:
The biome concept organizes large-scale ecological variation. Terrestrial biomes are distinguished
primarily by their predominant vegetation, and are mainly determined by temperature and rainfall.
The terrestrial biomes include Tundra, Taiga, Temperate Deciduous forest, Temperate grassland,
Chaparrals, Tropical Savannas, Tropical Rain forests, and Deserts.
Objective:
In this activity, you will complete a puzzle for terrestrial biomes by cutting and gluing the correct
features onto the biome puzzle sheet.
TERRESTRIAL BIOME PUZZLE
TUNDRA
Average
Temperature
Annual
Precipitation
Soil
Description
Producers
Herbivores
Carnivores
TAIGA
TEMPERATE
DECIDUOUS
FOREST
TEMPERATE
GRASSLAND
CHAPARRAL
Average
Temperature
Annual
Precipitation
Soil
Description
Producers
Herbivores
Carnivores
DESERT
TROPICAL
SAVANNA
TROPICAL RAIN
FOREST
PUZZLE CLUES TO CUT & PASTE
o
o
7 C to 38 C
May be very cold or
very hot
Located near the
equator; called jungles
or tropics
X
Mild, rainy winters &
hot, dry summers;
Called plains; “western
movies”
<25 cm
dry
16oC to 34oC
Always warm
Rocky, thin topsoil, low
in nutrients
< 25cm
Very dry year round
Moist thin topsoil that
is low in nutrients
-10oC to 14oC
Cool year round
Pines, cedars, spruce,
fir trees
Thin, nutrient poor soil
over frozen
Permafrost
Squirrels, rabbits,
white-tailed deer,
songbirds
Parrots, monkeys,
chimpanzees, gorillas,
large insects & spiders
6oC to 28oC
Has both cool and
warm seasons
Dry, often sandy soil,
low in nutrients
X
0oC to 25oC
Has both cool and
warm seasons
35-75 cm
Adequate Rainfall to
support trees
4 seasons (spring,
summer, winter, fall)
Grasses, sedges, moss,
lichens
Oaks, pecan, maples,
hickories, willows
Lush, perennial
grasses, few scattered
trees
Cacti, succulents,
Creosote bushes,
vegetation that stores
water with waxy
cuticles
10oC to 18oC
Hot summer & cool
winter
warm to hot summers
and cool to cold
winters
Strong, very cold winds
with little
precipitation, short &
soggy summers
X
20oC to 34oC
Always warm and humid
Wolves, coyotes,
badgers, grizzly bears,
armadillo
Canopy layer of
vegetation, vines,
epiphytes like orchids
& bromeliads, tropical
ferns
25 – 75 cm
Wet season and dry
season
Moist with moderately
thick topsoil, Rich in
nutrients (humus)
Lizards, tortoises, mule
deer, camels
Bears, wolves, lynx
Deer, prairie dogs,
buffalo
75-125 cm
Adequate Rainfall to
support trees
-26oC to 12oC
cold year round
Coniferous forest with
long winters but mild
summers when ground
thaws
< 25cm
dry summer & rainy
winter
X
Tall grasses, acacia
trees
75-150cm
6 month rainy season
(monsoon)
Low in nutrients and
Acidic
Low precipitation with
extreme temperature
changes ( hot in day &
cold at night)
Deep layer of nutrient
rich topsoil; Good for
farming
wild hogs, fox, raccoon,
coyotes, bears
Snowy owls, Arctic
foxes, Migratory birds
Lemmings, Caribou, &
musk oxen
Moose, hares, Geese
and Migratory
waterfowl
Lions, hyenas, vultures,
meerkats
Anaconda, emerald
tree boa, jaguars, giant
anteaters
Dry, thin layer of
topsoil; porous; low in
nutrients
Dense, spiny shrubs
like scrub oaks,
scattered clumps of
conifers
Mountain lions,
cougars, bobcats,
coyotes
Giraffe, elephant,
zebra, wildebeest
Alternating wet and
dry seasons with large
number of herbivores
& lots of migratory
animals
200-400cm
Rains almost daily; long,
wet season
Roadrunners, peccary,
rattlesnakes, kit fox
Black-tailed deer,
jackrabbits, mountain
goats, ground squirrels
TERRESTRIAL BIOME PUZZLE KEY
TUNDRA
AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE
-26oC to 12oC
cold year round
ANNUAL
PRECIPITATION
<25 cm
dry
TAIGA
(Boreal Forest)
TEMPERATE
DECIDUOUS
FOREST
-10oC to 14oC
Cool year round
6oC to 28oC
Has both cool and
warm seasons
35-75 cm
Adequate Rainfall to
support trees
75-125 cm
Adequate Rainfall to
support trees
25 – 75 cm
Wet season and dry
season
TEMPERATE
GRASSLAND
0oC to 25oC
Has both cool and
warm seasons
Thin, nutrient poor soil
over frozen
Permafrost
Strong, very cold winds
with little
precipitation, short &
soggy summers
Low in nutrients and
Acidic
Moist with moderately
thick topsoil, Rich in
nutrients (humus)
Deep layer of nutrient
rich topsoil; Good for
farming
Coniferous forest with
long winters but mild
summers when ground
thaws
4 seasons (spring,
summer, winter, fall)
warm to hot summers
and cool to cold
winters
PRODUCERS
Grasses, sedges, moss,
lichens
Pines, cedars, spruce,
fir trees
Oaks, pecan, maples,
hickories, willows
Lush, perennial
grasses, few scattered
trees
HERBIVORES
Lemmings, Caribou, &
musk oxen
Moose, hares, Geese
and Migratory
waterfowl
Squirrels, rabbits,
white-tailed deer,
songbirds
Deer, prairie dogs,
buffalo
CARNIVORES
Snowy owls, Arctic
foxes, Migratory birds
Bears, wolves, lynx
wild hogs, fox, raccoon,
coyotes, bears
Wolves, coyotes,
badgers, grizzly bears,
armadillo
SOIL
DESCRIPTION
TERRESTRIAL BIOME PUZZLE KEY
CHAPARRAL
DESERT
TROPICAL
SAVANNA
TROPICAL RAIN
FOREST
10oC to 18oC
Hot summer & cool
winter
< 25cm
dry summer & rainy
winter
7oC to 38oC
May be very cold or
very hot
16oC to 34oC
Always warm
20oC to 34oC
Always warm and humid
< 25cm
Very dry year round
75-150cm
6 month rainy season
(monsoon)
200-400cm
Rains almost daily; long,
wet season
SOIL
Rocky, thin topsoil, low
in nutrients
Dry, often sandy soil,
low in nutrients
Dry, thin layer of
topsoil; porous; low in
nutrients
Moist thin topsoil that
is low in nutrients
DESCRIPTION
Mild, rainy winters &
hot, dry summers;
Called plains; “western
movies”
Low precipitation with
extreme temperature
changes ( hot in day &
cold at night)
Alternating wet and
dry seasons with large
number of herbivores
& lots of migratory
animals
Located near the
equator; called jungles
or tropics
PRODUCERS
Dense, spiny shrubs
like scrub oaks,
scattered clumps of
conifers
Cacti, succulents,
Creosote bushes,
vegetation that stores
water with waxy
cuticles
Tall grasses, acacia
trees
Lizards, tortoises, mule
deer, camels
Giraffe, elephant,
zebra, wildebeest
Roadrunners, peccary,
rattlesnakes, kit fox
Lions, hyenas, vultures,
meerkats
AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE
ANNUAL
PRECIPITATION
HERBIVORES
CARNIVORES
Black-tailed deer,
jackrabbits, mountain
goats, ground squirrels
Mountain lions,
cougars, bobcats,
coyotes
Canopy layer of
vegetation, vines,
epiphytes like orchids
& bromeliads, tropical
ferns
Parrots, monkeys,
chimpanzees, gorillas,
large insects & spiders
Anaconda, emerald
tree boa, jaguars, giant
anteaters