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32°F

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300 to 900 mm annually

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climate change, global climate change, global warming, natural hazards, Earth, environment, remote sensing, atmosphere, land processes, oceans, volcanoes, land cover, Earth science data, NASA, environmental processes, Blue Marble, global maps

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http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/taiga.htm

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https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1CADEAF_enUS761US761&biw=1366&bih=678&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=taiga+coniferous+forest+animals+and+plants&oq=taiga+coniferous+forest+animals+and+plants&gs_l=psy-ab.3...126185.139745.0.139925.39.19.20.0.0.0.143.2118.0j18.18.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..1.4.163...0i30k1.0.QlvKEuvT8YY&safe=active&ssui=on#imgrc=IbjY2-MEKJsz_M:

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The taiga is the largest biome and is very cold. In winter it gets extremely cold and causes many of it animals to either migrate south or hibernate

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A biome is the type of habitat in certain places, like mountain tops, deserts, and tropical forests, and is determined by the climate of the place. The taiga is the biome of the needleleaf forest. Living in the taiga is cold and lonely. Coldness and food shortages make things very difficult, mostly in the winter. Some of the animals in the taiga hibernate in the winter, some fly south if they can, while some just cooperate with the environment, which is very difficult. (Dillon Bartkus)

Taiga is the Russian word for forest and is the largest biome in the world. It stretches over Eurasia and North America. The taiga is located near the top of the world, just below the tundra biome. The winters in the taiga are very cold with only snowfall. The summers are warm, rainy, and humid. A lot of coniferous trees grow in the taiga. The taiga is also known as the boreal forest. Did you know that Boreal was the Greek goddess of the North Wind?

The taiga doesn't have as many plant and animal species as the tropical or the deciduous forest biomes. It does have millions of insects in the summertime. Birds migrate there every year to nest and feed.

Here is some information about the temperatures and weather in the taiga. The average temperature is below freezing for six months out of the year. The winter temperature range is -54 to -1° C (-65 to 30° F). The winters, as you can see, are really cold, with lots of snow.

Temperature range in the summer gets as low as -7° C (20° F). The high in summer can be 21° C (70° F). The summers are mostly warm, rainy and humid. They are also very short with about 50 to 100 frost free days. The total precipitation in a year is 30 - 85 cm (12 - 33 in) . The forms the precipitation comes in are rain, snow and dew. Most of the precipitation in the taiga falls as rain in the summer.

The main seasons in the taiga are winter and summer. The spring and autumn are so short, you hardly know they exist. It is either hot and humid or very cold in the taiga.

There are not a lot of species of plants in the taiga because of the harsh conditions. Not many plants can survive the extreme cold of the taiga winter. There are some lichens and mosses, but most plants are coniferous trees like pine, white spruce, hemlock and douglas fir.

Coniferous trees are also known as evergreens. They have long, thin waxy needles. The wax gives them some protection from freezing temperatures and from drying out. Evergreens don't loose their leaves in the winter like deciduous trees. They keep their needles all year long. This is so they can start photosynthesis as soon as the weather gets warm. The dark color of evergreen needles allows them to absorb heat from the sun and also helps them start photosynthesis early.

Evergreens in the taiga tend to be thin and grow close together. This gives them protection from the cold and wind. Evergreens also are usually shaped like an upside down cone to protects the branches from breaking under the weight of all that snow. The snow slides right off the slanted branches.

The taiga is susceptible to many wildfires. Trees have adapted by growing thick bark. The fires will burn away the upper canopy of the trees and let sunlight reach the ground. New plants will grow and provide food for animals that once could not live there because there were only evergreen trees.

Animals of the taiga tend to be predators like the lynx and members of the weasel family like wolverines, bobcat, minks and ermine. They hunt herbivores like snowshoe rabbits, red squirrels and voles. Red deer, elk, and moose can be found in regions of the taiga where more deciduous trees grow.

Many insect eating birds come to the taiga to breed. They leave when the breeding season is over. Seed eaters like finches and sparrows, and omnivorous birds like crows stay all year long.

2000
bibliography:
"Taiga Facts", http://www.hewett.norfolk.sch.uk/curric/NewGeog/Habitats/facts.htm, (June 2000).

"Taiga Plants", http://www.richmond.edu/~ed344/webunits/biomes/tplants.html, (June 2000).

"Taiga", http://www.runet.edu/~swoodwar/CLASSES/GEOG235/biomes/taiga/taiga.html, (June 2000).

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A biome is the type of habitat in certain places, like mountain tops, deserts, and tropical forests, and is determined by the climate of the place. The taiga is the biome of the needleleaf forest. Living in the taiga is cold and lonely. Coldness and food shortages make things very difficult, mostly in the winter.

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http://taigabiome3rdblock.weebly.com/food-web.html

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Global warming and urbanization is threatening the biome.

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What Is the Taiga?

Picture walking through the forests of central Canada on a sunny, summer day. As you begin your hike, evergreen trees tower over you. These tall pines have adapted leaves to survive in the cooler temperatures of the North. Although the ground is usually covered in snow in winter, the summer is more temperate and you're able to do your hike with a light jacket and boots. Herds of caribou with their thick fur graze on grass, while foxes and lynx keep an eye out for potential meals.

This lovely, albeit cold, ecosystem is called the taiga. The taiga encompasses the cold, coniferous forests that span between the Arctic and the temperate forests. The taiga forms a belt around the northern part of the world, spanning through Canada, Russia, China, Mongolia, Siberia, Alaska, and northern Europe.

Threats

Currently, the taiga is experiencing threats from human activity that are creating many environmental issues. Let's look at some of the most common threats facing the taiga biome.

Deforestation

One of the main environmental issues in the taiga is deforestation, or cutting down trees. Unfortunately, many of the products we use every day are a product of logging, or harvesting trees for human use, in the taiga. Much of the wood that fills our home, such as the beams holding it together and our hardwood floors, come from the taiga. Paper products, such as newsprint, also originate from trees in the taiga.

Logging and the more dangerous practice of clear cutting, which is the stripping of large areas of all trees, are threatening the health of the taiga ecosystem. Trees not only provide homes for animals, but they also are responsible for soil integrity. Without trees, soil runoff increases and the land becomes less productive.

Some areas of the taiga are protected from clear cutting, but illegal logging still remains a problem, particularly in Russia's Far East. In 2010, nearly half the oak harvested was done so illegally from the taiga. Russia exports its timber to China, which is a producer of many goods imported by the United States. Consumers should be conscious of where timber and wood-derived products come from to help prevent illegal logging.

Climate Change

Another environmental issue facing our entire world - not just the taiga - is climate change. Climate change is caused by global warming, an increase in global temperature. With the frigid temperatures in the taiga, we might think global warming would make life easier for the animals there; but animals and plants in the taiga are adapted to thrive in a cool climate. Taiga animals are unable to survive in warmer climates, causing endangerment and even the possibility of extinction for many native species.

Increasing temperatures are also causing glaciers and snow to melt in the taiga. The melted snow runs off of mountains, flooding the taiga. Due to permanently frozen soil and harsh bedrock near the surface, the taiga floor does not drain well. The increased water from glacial melting causes the forest floor to flood, creating a bog-like environment called a muskeg. Trees do not thrive well with this level of water and begin to die out, favoring plants that like the increased moisture.

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taiga biome: environmental issues & threats - video & lesson transcript | study.com

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Taiga Biome: Environmental Issues & Threats - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

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Picture walking through the forests of central Canada on a sunny, summer day. As you begin your hike, evergreen trees tower over you. These tall pines have adapted leaves to survive in the cooler temperatures of the North.