Taiga
Boreal Forest
http://www.mountain.ru/photo/2001/osennie_kraski/img/GORNAYA%20Taiga.JPG
Description of the ecosystem
The biome Taiga, also known as the Boreal
forest, can be described as the places
where most people would stay away from.
Taiga’s summers are short and cool, and
the winters, are killers. However dislikable
it may be, the Taiga is still the world's
largest terrestrial biome.
The Taiga
http://www.tqnyc.org/NYC063000/taiga1.jpg
http://images.botany.org/set-01/01-027v.jpg
World locations
The locations of Taiga range from all the cold
places one could think of: Alaska, Canada,
Sweden, Finland, inland Norway and Russia, as
well as the extreme northern parts in the U. S.
(e.g. Northern Minnesota), northern Kazakhstan
and Japan’s Hokkaido.
http://rst.gsfc.nasa.gov/Sect3/taiga_location_map001.jpg
Climate
The climate of Taiga is classified as the subArctic climate. It consists of short-period,
cool summers and the terrible long, snowy
winters.
Annual Precipitation
• The annual precipitation is from low to moderate. And
the range is of 250 to 500 mm across the Taiga Plains,
(which are centered in around the Mackenzie River in
the western Northwest Territories in Canada) and the
western Taiga Shield ecozones, (located eastward from
the Taiga Plains) and up to 1000 mm elsewhere.
• The higher precipitation is along the coast of Labrador (a
region of Atlantic Canada). This is the result of the
cooling of moisture-laden air masses rising over the high
terrain. Taiga’s annual snowfall is generally in excess of
150 cm, with both snow and ice covering for 6–8 months.
Taiga Plains
Taiga Shield ecozones
Temperatures
The temperatures in those areas of Taiga
generally range from 0°C to -10°C, with
average temperatures of January ranging
from -30°C to -15°C and average
temperatures of July from 10°C to 15°C. In
winter times the temperatures drop to 50°C, and in the summer it rises up to 35°C.
Soils
Soils in the ranges of Taiga vary
considerably, but generally they are
classified as acidic, thin and nutrient-poor
soils. In the Taiga Plains ecozones, the
soils are stony, while on the other hand the
valleys of the Mackenzie, Liard, and Hay
rivers, where silt deposits have created
deeper, nutrient-rich soils.
Plant Life
The land of Taiga, being poor in nuritence,
consists of few plant life. The survivors
are the coniferous trees with pointy
needles, such as pine, spruce, hemlock,
and fir trees. Taigas also have some smallleaved deciduous trees like birch, alder,
willow and aspen and in the southernmost
part of the taiga also has trees like oak,
maple and elm scattered among the
conifers.
Balsam Fir is the third most common tree
of the Taiga. It is the tallest tree in the
Boreal Forest and it grows 40-80 feet high
http://tree-city.net/images/BalsamFir1.jpg
Animal Life
The cold climate of the Taiga prevents many
animals from living there year-round. So just like
its plants, there are not many animals living in
the Taiga areas. Some of the large animals
include moose, deer, and bears. Examples of
other smaller animals that live in the taiga are
bobcats, squirrels, chipmunks, ermine, and
moles and lynxes. The taiga is home to many
birds such as the bald eagle, chickadee,
woodpeckers, and warblers.
The Canadian Lynx is one of
three wild cats that are known
by the common name Lynx.
http://home.mcn.net/~wtu/images/lynx2.jpg
Further information
Blue Planet Biomes:
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/taiga.htm
World Wildlife Fund - Coniferous Forests:
www.panda.org/news_facts/education/middle_school/habitats/coniferous_forests.cfm
Earth Floor - Taiga:
www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/taiga.html