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A swamp is an area of land permanently saturated, or filled, with water. Many swamps are even covered by water. There are two main types of swamps: freshwater swamps and saltwater swamps.

Swamps are dominated by trees. They are often named for the type of trees that grow in them, such as cypress swamps or hardwood swamps. Freshwater swamps are commonly found inland, while saltwater swamps are usually found along coastal areas. Swamps are transition areas. They are neither totally land nor totally water.

Swamps exist in many kinds of climates and on every continent except Antarctica. They vary in size from isolated prairie potholes to huge coastal salt marshes. Some swamps are flooded woodlands. Some are former lakes or ponds overtaken by trees and shrubs.

Freshwater Swamps

Freshwater swamps form around lakes and streams. Rain and seasonal flooding cause water levels to fluctuate. In the wet soil, water-tolerant vegetation grows and helps maintain a moist, swampy condition.

In many freshwater swamps in the southeastern United States, cypress and tupelo trees grow. Spanish moss may hang from the branches, and tiny plants called duckweed may cover the waters surface. Shrubs and bushes may grow beneath the trees. Sometimes poking as much as 4 meters (13 feet) above the water are angular knobs called cypress knees. They are outgrowths of the trees' root systems.

Alligators, frogs, and many other animals live in these swamps. These animals are adapted to fluctuating water levels. The shadowy tree root system and cypress knobs provide a rich, sheltered habitat for nesting birds, as well as fish, amphibians and reptiles.

The freshwater swamps between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in the Middle East are so rich in biodiversity that the area is called the "Fertile Crescent." The abundant wildlife, agricultural opportunities, and ability for communication and trade fostered human technological development. The Fertile Crescent is recognized as the birthplace of civilization and the site of the first cities. The earliest recorded written language and the first recorded use of the wheel occurred around these swamps.

The Everglades, in Florida, is one of the largest swamp complexes in the United States. Called the "River of Grass," this freshwater swamp is actually a wide, slow-moving river flowing from the Kissimmee River near Orlando to the Straits of Florida. The Everglades is 97 kilometers (60 miles) wide and 160 kilometers (100 miles) long. A rich collection of wildlife, from alligators to panthers, calls this freshwater swamp home.

Saltwater Swamps

Saltwater swamps form on tropical coastlines. Formation of these swamps begins with bare flats of mud and sand that are thinly covered by seawater during high tides. Plants that are able to tolerate tidal flooding, such as mangrove trees, begin to grow and soon form thickets of roots and branches. Mangrove trees often grow on tall, thin roots. The roots anchor sand and other sediments. The growth and decay of the roots increase the accumulation of soil.

Among these mangroves live animals that feed on fallen leaves and other material. Crabs, conchs, and other shellfish are abundant in mangrove swamps. The swamps are also home to a huge variety of birds, whose droppings help fertilize the swamp.

Because the young of many marine animals find food and shelter in saltwater swamps, these wetlands are sometimes called the nurseries of the ocean. Many ocean species enter coastal wetlands to spawn. Fish swim into salt marshes to lay their eggs. When the eggs hatch, the young find plenty of food and some protection in swamp grasses or among tree roots. Other species spawn in the ocean, and the young swim into the wetlands and live there until they mature.

People and swamps

Swamps are among the most valuable ecosystems on Earth. They act like giant sponges or reservoirs. When heavy rains cause flooding, swamps and other wetlands absorb excess water, moderating the effects of flooding. Swamps also protect coastal areas from storm surges that can wash away fragile coastline. Saltwater swamps and tidal salt marshes help anchor coastal soil and sand.

The swamp ecosystem also acts as a water treatment plant, filtering wastes and purifying water naturally. When excess nitrogen and other chemicals wash into swamps, plants there absorb and use the chemicals. Many of these chemicals come from human activities such as agriculture, where fertilizers use nitrogen and phosphorus. Factories, water treatment plants, and homes also contribute to runoff. Chemicals not absorbed by plants slowly sink to the bottom and are buried in sand and sediment.

For most of history, wetlands were looked upon as wastelands, and as homes for insect pests such as mosquitoes. (Swamps are home to a wide variety of insects, which feed on the wide variety of plants.) People thought swamps were sinister and forbidding.

In the United States, filling or draining swamps was an accepted practice. Almost half of U.S. wetlands were destroyed before environmental protections were enacted during the 1970s. Most of the Everglades have been reclaimed as agricultural land, mostly sugar plantations. Draining swampland also created valuable real estate in the San Francisco Bay Area in California.

Federal and state authorities drained much of the wetlands at the delta of the Mississippi River in Louisiana as part of a massive system of river management. When Hurricane Katrina blew in from the Gulf of Mexico in 2005, the spongy swamp that traditionally protected the city of New Orleans from destructive weather patterns was diminished. The city was hit full force with a Category 3 hurricane.

Eradicating swampland also threatens economic activity. Two-thirds of the fish and shellfish that are commercially harvested worldwide are linked with wetlands. From Brazils varzeas, or freshwater swamps surrounding the Amazon River, to saltwater swamps near the Florida Keys, commercially valuable fish species that depend on wetlands are threatened with extinction.

In the early 1970s, governments began enacting laws recognizing the enormous value of swamps and other wetlands. In some parts of the United States, it is now against the law to alter or destroy swamps. Through management plans and stricter laws, people are trying to protect remaining swamps and to re-create them in areas where they have been destroyed.

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A swamp is an area of land permanently saturated, or filled, with water. Many swamps are even covered by water. There are two main types of swamps: freshwater swamps and saltwater swamps. Swamps are dominated by trees. They are often named for the type of trees that grow in them, such as cypress swamps or hardwood swamps.

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A wetland is an area of land that is either covered by water or saturated with water. The water is often groundwater, seeping up from an aquifer or spring. A wetland's water can also come from a nearby river or lake. Seawater can also create wetlands, especially in coastal areas that experience strong tides.

A wetland is entirely covered by water at least part of the year. The depth and duration of this seasonal flooding varies. Wetlands are transition zones. They are neither totally dry land nor totally underwater; they have characteristics of both.

The saturation of wetland soil determines the vegetation that surrounds it. Plants that live in wetlands are uniquely adapted to their watery ( hydric) soil. Wetland plants are called hydrophytes. Seasonally dry wetlands or wetlands with slow-moving water can often support trees and other sturdy vegetation. More frequently flooded wetlands have mosses or grasses as their dominant hydrophytes.

Wetlands exist in many kinds of climates, on every continent except Antarctica. They vary in size from isolated prairie potholes to huge salt marshes. They are found along coasts and inland. Some wetlands are flooded woodlands, full of trees. Others are more like flat, watery grasslands. Still others are choked by thick, spongy mosses.

Wetlands go by many names, such as swamps, peatlands, sloughs, marshes, muskegs, bogs, fens, potholes, and mires. Most scientists consider swamps, marshes, and bogs to be the three major kinds of wetlands.

Swamps

A swamp is a wetland permanently saturated with water and dominated by trees. There are two main types of swamps: freshwater swamps and saltwater swamps. Freshwater swamps are common in inland areas. Saltwater swamps protect coasts from the open ocean.

Freshwater Swamps
Freshwater swamps often form on flat land around lakes or streams, where the water table is high and runoff is slow. Seasonal flooding and rainwater cause the water level in these swamps to fluctuate, or change. Water-tolerant plants, such as cattails, lotus, and cypress, grow in the swamp's wet soil. These plants are key to maintaining the swamp's ecosystem.

Freshwater swamps are common in tropical areas near the Equator. These equatorial swamps usually experience year-round heat and humidity.

The Eastern and Western Congolian Swamp Forests surround the Congo River, in the nations of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of the Congo. Tall evergreen trees dominate the swamp forests. Many species of these trees, such as bubinga and ovangkol, are harvested for timber. Bubinga and ovangkol are expensive, luxury woods used to make musical instruments such as violins, as well as furniture. The thick canopy of trees means Congolian swamp forests are more shaded and humid than other wetlands. The muddy floor of these swamps is home to hundreds of insects, reptiles, and amphibians, including dozens of species of frogs.

Congolian swamp forests are also home to a wide variety of large mammals. Most of these mammals are herbivores. Colobus and mangabey monkeys eat mostly tropical fruit. Other mammals, such as forest buffalo, forest elephants, and lowland gorillas, feed on the abundant vegetation of the wetland. In fact, an adult male gorilla can eat up to 32 kilograms (45 pounds) of leaves, fruit, and bark every day.

In more temperate climates, cypress trees often grow out of the still waters of freshwater swamps. Spanish moss may hang from tree branches. Willows and other shrubs may grow beneath the trees. Angular knobs called cypress knees sometimes poke as much as 4 meters (13 feet) above the water. Cypress knees are outgrowths of the trees' root systems. Scientists are not sure what purpose knees serve. They may simply provide support, or they may transport oxygen to the roots.

Tiny water plants called duckweed often form a green cover on the surface of the water. Alligators, frogs, and snakes called water moccasins may swim among the plants. Reptiles and amphibians thrive in freshwater swamps because they are adapted to the fluctuating water levels.

Cypress swamps are common throughout the U.S. The bayous of the state of Louisiana, near slow-moving parts of the Mississippi River, are probably the most famous American swamplands. Shrimp, crawfish, wading birds, and fish such as catfish are native to bayous.

Distinct cultures have also developed near bayous and other freshwater swamps. In Louisiana, the food and music of Cajun culture is closely associated with bayou wildlife and imagery.

Saltwater Swamps
Saltwater swamps are usually found along tropical coastlines. Formation of these swamps begins with bare flats of mud or sand that are thinly covered by seawater during high tides. The brackish water of saltwater swamps is not entirely seawater, but not entirely freshwater, either.

Some hydrophytes, such as mangrove trees, can tolerate brackish water. Mangroves are easy to recognize because of their tall, stilt-like roots, which hold the small trunks and branches of the trees above water. Mangrove roots anchor sediment and help soil accumulate around them. They also help build sediment through their growth and decay.

Many organisms live among mangrove roots. The root system provides shelter and a place to feed on fallen leaves and other material. Crabs, conchs, and other shellfish are abundant in mangrove swamps.

Saltwater swamps are also home to a huge variety of birds. Mangrove roots and branches provide excellent nesting sites. Saltwater swamps are home to seabirds, such as gulls, as well as freshwater birds, such as herons. The abundance of plants, insects, and small animals provides food for these birds, whose droppings help fertilize the swamp.

The Sundarbans, a saltwater swamp in India and Bangladesh, has the largest mangrove forest in the world. Located on mud flats near the delta of the Ganges River, the area is saturated in freshwater. The Sundarbans also experience strong tides from the Indian Ocean. The biodiversity of the Sundarbans stretches from tiny algae and moss to Bengal tigers. The Bangladeshi portion of the wetland is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of different species of mangrove trees thrive in the Sundarbans. In drier areas of the swamp, palms and grasses grow. Insects such as bees build hives in the trees. In fact, harvesting honey has been a major economic activity in the Sundarbans for centuries.

Bees and other insects are one of the main food sources for tropical birds in the area. Storks, ibises, and herons nest in the high branches of mangrove and palm trees. Smaller birds such as kingfishers and pigeons roost in shrubs. Some birds feed on the hundreds of fish that inhabit the Sundarbans' brackish water: rays, carp, eels, crabs, and shrimp.

Many reptiles and amphibians live in and around the swamp, including frogs, toads, turtles, and snakes. Some of the snakes of the Sundarbans, such as the Indian python, regularly grow up to 3 meters (10 feet) long. Monitor lizards and crocodiles, also native to the Sundarbans, are even larger.

The large reptiles of the Sundarbans regularly prey on mammals such as deer, boar, mongooses, and monkeys. However, the most famous predator of the Sundarbans is the Bengal tiger, an endangered species. Bengal tigers are apex predators-human beings are their only natural predator. In the Sundarbans, Bengal tigers swim in the swampy water and climb trees. The cats, which can grow to 220 kilograms (484 pounds), have been known to attack people in the swamp. Scientists and honey collectors are especially at risk.

Marshes

North and south of the tropics, swamps give way to marshes. These wetlands form a flat, grassy fringe near river mouths, in bays, and along coastlines. Many are alternately flooded and exposed by the movement of tides. Like swamps, marshes are often divided into freshwater and saltwater categories.

Freshwater Marshes
Freshwater marshes, often found hundreds of kilometers from the coast, are dominated by grasses and aquatic plants. These marshes often develop around lakes and streams.

Many freshwater marshes lie in the prairie pothole region of North America, the heart of which extends from central Canada through the northern Midwest of the United States.

Prairie potholes are bowl-shaped depressions left by chunks of glacial ice buried in the soil during the most recent ice age. When the ice melted, muddy water filled the potholes. Fertile soil and a temperate climate make these marshes some of the richest in the world. For this reason, many prairie potholes have been drained and the land used for agriculture. Thousands of migratory birds depend on the remaining prairie potholes as they travel from the Arctic to more temperate climates every year.

Farther south, freshwater marshes form much of the Everglades, a huge wetland region in southern Florida. Water from Lake Okeechobee flows slowly through the Everglades on its way to the ocean. Sawgrass, cypress, and mangroves grow along its path. The muddy, slow-moving water is also home to rare types of orchid.

The Everglades are known for their diversity of wildlife. This marsh contains hundreds of species of wading birds, each of which is adapted to feed on insects, fish, clams, shrimp, or even rodents such as mice. Alligators make their nests in the dense sawgrass, and swim in the murky water. Deer and the endangered Florida panther live in the dry areas of the marsh, while manatees and even dolphins swim in the so-called "River of Grass."

Saltwater Marshes
Salt marshes are some of the richest ecosystems for biodiversity. Dominated by grasses, they provide food and shelter for algae, fungi, shellfish, fish, amphibians, and reptiles. Wading birds and other animals feed on the vegetation and abundant insects.

The warm saltwater marshes of northern Australia are influenced by the tides of the Indian and Pacific oceans. They often overlap with the freshwater marshes of rivers, such as the Jardine. A few mangrove trees may dot saltwater marshes, but they are dominated by grasses and a layer of algae called an algal mat. This algal mat is home to many insects and amphibians.

A wide variety of birds are found in Australia's saltwater marshes. Some of these birds nest in the shrubs and prey on insects and fish in the area. Others are migratory, only visiting the marsh when their home ranges become too cold or dry to support life.

Australia's saltwater marshes are also home to the saltwater crocodile. These enormous reptiles often spend the wet season in freshwater swamps and rivers, and migrate to saltwater marshes in the dry season. In addition to fish, Australia's saltwater crocodiles hunt larger animals that may pass through the wetland: kangaroos, birds, and wild boars. Many Australian beaches have strict warnings to swimmers during certain seasons, because saltwater crocodiles are a threat to people as well.

Bogs

Swamps and marshes are generally found in warm climates. Bogs are more common in cold or even Arctic areas in North America, Europe, and Asia. They also exist at high altitudes in warmer regions, such as the Sierra Nevada in the United States. Bogs are often called moors or fens in Europe, and muskegs in Canada.

Like many wetlands, bogs develop in areas where the water table, or the upper surface of underground water, is high. They often begin in glacial depressions called kettle lakes, which are deeper than prairie potholes.

A bog forms as a kettle lake gradually fills with plant debris. Leaves, roots, and stems of large plants accumulate on the bed of the lake. As the lake becomes shallower, mosses and other plants growing along the edges of the lake extend into the water. They form a loose, floating layer of tangled vegetation on the water's surface. Eventually, these plants are followed by water-loving grasses and sedges. Soon, the water is choked with vegetation. The oldest, partially decayed vegetation at the bottom of the bog forms a thick, spongy mat called peat.

Peat is a valuable fuel in many parts of the world. It is often the first step in the creation of coal, a fossil fuel. (The fossils in coal are wetland plants.) Some people living near bogs cut and dry squares of peat. It is burned for heating and cooking, or used to insulate buildings. In Ireland, peat supplies a portion of the country's electrical energy.

Bogs preserve more than the remains of plants, however. The bodies of dozens of prehistoric people have been found in bogs in Europe and Asia. These "bog bodies" have been preserved for thousands of years. Bog bodies are in such excellent condition that anthropologists can examine clothes, tattoos, and hair color, and even investigate a cause of death. Most people found in bogs were killed, though historians and anthropologists debate whether they were murdered or sacrificed as part of a religious ritual.

Some bogs can support a person's weight. They are called quaking bogs because the surface quakes when a person walks on the spongy peat. The island of Ireland, with its cool, wet climate, has hundreds of quaking bogs.

Unlike other wetlands, bogs usually are not agriculturally fertile. The amount of acid in the soil and water is generally higher than that in swamps or marshes. The supply of nutrients, especially nitrogen, is low.

Only certain kinds of plants can grow in bogs. Some of the few plants harvested in the wet, acidic soil of bogs are cranberries and blueberries. Plants are autotrophs, meaning they are able to create their own food from air, water, and sunlight. Many bog plants have adapted to the poor nutrients in the soil and water by expanding their food source. Pitcher plants and sundew, common in bogs, are carnivorous: They trap and consume insects.

Because of the limited species of plants, bogs do not have the biodiversity common in other types of wetlands. Insects, common in all wetlands, include butterflies and dragonflies. These insects feed on the nectar in bog flowers. Ireland has dozens of native butterflies found in bogs. Birds, such as geese and pheasant, also make their homes in the bog, although it is unusual to find larger animals.

In North America, moose are one of the few large animals that thrive in bog habitats. Moose, the largest species of deer, consume aquatic plants such as pond lilies.

Vital Ecosystems

Wetlands are some of the most valuable ecosystems on Earth. They act like giant sponges or reservoirs. During heavy rains, wetlands absorb excess water, limiting the effects of flooding. Wetlands also protect coastal areas from storm surges that can wash away fragile beaches and coastal communities. Saltwater swamps and tidal salt marshes help secure coastal soil and sand.

Wetland ecosystems also act as water-treatment facilities. The plants, fungi, and algae of a wetland filter wastes and purify water. Nitrates and other runoff chemicals often wash into wetlands from urban areas and farms. Organisms there absorb the harmful chemicals. Pollutants not absorbed by plants slowly sink to the bottom, where they are buried in sand and other sediment.

Wetlands, especially marshes and swamps, are home to a wide variety of plant and animal life. Some animals, such as shrimp, live in tidal marshes. Many marine fishes, such as striped bass, enter coastal wetlands to spawn. Bass swim from the ocean and into salt marshes to lay their eggs. When the eggs hatch, the young bass find plenty of food and some protection in the grasses or tree roots. Oysters live in huge reefs in salt marshes. All of these wetlands are home to economically valuable fisheries.

The Chesapeake Bay watershed, on the East Coast of the United States, includes more than 60,000 hectares (1.5 million acres) of wetlands. Near the bay, the ecosystem is a tidal salt marsh. Farther from the Atlantic Ocean, freshwater marshes appear close to the Susquehanna River and its tributaries.

Chesapeake Bay wetlands are home to an extraordinary variety of wildlife. Plants include grasses, wild rice, pond lily, cattail, alder, and button bushes. Trees such as red maple, black gum, river birch, black willow, Atlantic white cedar, and bald cypress grow in the bay's forested wetlands.

Chesapeake Bay wetlands are a major nesting area for the bald eagle, a symbol of the United States. The world's largest population of osprey also makes its home there. Bald eagles and ospreys feed on fish in the Chesapeake Bay. Many migratory birds, including swans and geese, spend winters in the Chesapeake wetlands.

Other animals native to the Chesapeake Bay include muskrats, beavers, otters, turtles, frogs, and numerous shellfish, as well as the fox squirrel and bog turtle, which are endangered species.

Economic Importance

Wetlands are economically important to people. They are popular places for recreational activities, such as hunting, hiking, canoeing, and bird-watching. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Americans spend more than $100 billion on wetland-related recreational activities every year.

More than 75% of the fish and shellfish that are commercially harvested worldwide are linked with wetlands. For example, the blue crab harvest from the Chesapeake Bay in 2007 was valued at about $51 million. This crab is the official "state crustacean" of the U.S. state of Maryland, and plays an important part of the state's identity. Images of blue crabs are on thousands of souvenirs, and many Maryland restaurants serve crab cakes. The blue crab is also on Maryland's license plate featuring the Chesapeake Bay.

For most of history, wetlands were looked upon as wastelands. They do not easily support development. The soil is wet, spongy, and difficult to build on. Wetlands are also home to pests, from mosquitoes to alligators.

Until recently, draining wetlands was accepted practice. Drained wetlands provided land for agriculture, housing, industry, schools, and hospitals. The capital of the United States, Washington, D.C., is built on a drained wetland along the Potomac and Anacostia rivers.

Almost half of U.S. wetlands have been destroyed for development. Drainage and peat harvesting have destroyed wetlands in Ireland and Scandinavia.

Many fish that depend on wetlands have become rare. Some of these species, such as flounder, trout, and bass, are commercially important. Freshwater and ocean fisheries depend on wetlands to provide habitat for the next generation of fish.

In the early 1970s, governments began recognizing the enormous value of wetlands. To protect the vanishing ecosystems, hunting and fishing licenses were restricted. Living shorelines and other restoration projects encouraged the development of coastal wetlands to protect communities from storm surges. Fines and restrictions on agricultural and industrial runoff reduced the toxic chemicals spilling into wetlands.

In some parts of the world, including the United States, it is now against the law to alter or destroy wetlands. Through management plans and stricter laws, people are trying to protect remaining wetlands and to recreate them in areas where they have been destroyed.

Case Study: Tres Rios
The arid urban area of Phoenix, Arizona, serves an example of how wetlands support the economy, health, and wildlife of an area. In the early 1990s, city leaders worked with the Army Corps of Engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency, and local environmental groups to create a wetland, the Tres Rios Demonstration Project. Tres Rios receives its water from a wastewater facility serving the busy urban area of Phoenix, as well as the seasonal streams of the Gila, Salt, and Agua Fria rivers.

More than two million gallons of wastewater flow into Tres Rios every day. Thousands of birds flock to Tres Rios: waterfowl, such as ducks and cormorants; terrestrial species, such as sparrows and cardinals; and migratory species, such as blackbirds. Even raptors such as osprey inhabit Tres Rios.

The habitat established at Tres Rios was so successful that wildlife managers were forced to relocate beavers, native to Arizona marshes, because multiplied too quickly for the wetland to sustain.

Tres Rios cleans the wastewater that flows into it. The ecosystem acts as a filter for toxic chemicals. Its position along the Salt River also makes Tres Rios a natural flood-control mechanism.

Finally, Tres Rios was less expensive to construct than a new water treatment plant for the city of Phoenix.

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A wetland is an area of land that is either covered by water or saturated with water. The water is often groundwater, seeping up from an aquifer or spring. A wetland's water can also come from a nearby river or lake. Seawater can also create wetlands, especially in coastal areas that experience strong tides.

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Coastal wetlands | Habitats | Monterey Bay Aquarium

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Coastal wetlands are low-lying stretches of land, saturated with water. These areas are home to an abundant mix of plants, fish and wildlife. Learn about coastal wetlands from the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

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Sea otters, whales and pelicans don't get to vote - but their future, and ours, depends on the decisions you make on your ballot. Use your vote to protect the ocean and the people that depend on it.

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Rocky shore | Habitats | Monterey Bay Aquarium

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Sea otters, whales and pelicans don't get to vote - but their future, and ours, depends on the decisions you make on your ballot. Use your vote to protect the ocean and the people that depend on it.

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LOCATION: Wetlands are areas where standing water covers the soil or an area where the ground is very wet. Unlike estuaries, freshwater wetlands are not connected to the ocean. They can be found along the boundaries of streams, lakes, ponds or even in large shallow holes that fill up with rainwater. Freshwater wetlands may stay wet all year long, or the water may evaporate during the dry season.

There are many different types of freshwater wetlands, all of which have different names. This can sometimes lead to confusion. These are all names of different types of wetlands: marsh, bog, fen, swamp, mire, slough, and prairie pothole. These places can look very different, but because they are all areas with wet soil, or where water covers the soil, they are considered wetlands.
More information on these different types of wetlands
PLANTS: Freshwater wetlands have a variety of plant types, and each different type of wetland may have different kinds of plants. The plants discussed here are fairly common. There are floating plants, such as duckweed, that extends its roots down into the water to absorb nutrients. The duckweed floats freely and is not attached to the bottom. Cattails and sedges are common plants that grow up from the soil, through the water.

ANIMALS: As with plants, the types of animals found in wetlands depend upon the type of wetland. There are, however, some general types of animals that will be found in most wetlands.

All kinds of amphibians (frogs, toads and salamanders) can be found. Amphibians require water in which to lay their eggs and for the tadpoles to grow to adulthood. Wetlands are a perfect environment for this. In fact, when visiting wetlands, one of the first things you a may hear are the calls of frogs. Sometimes, especially during the mating season, they can be so loud it's hard to hear anything else.

Insects are an important part of the plant and animal life in wetlands. They help to pollinate plants and provide food for birds and amphibians. Watch out for the mosquitoes! You may want to bring your insect repellent when visiting a wetland because mosquitoes thrive in areas of standing water.

Feel like taking a swim in a wetland? Before you jump in or even wade through the water, you may want to consider another wetland animal with a bad reputation: leeches. Most leeches prefer environments with standing water, making freshwater wetlands a perfect home. They feed by latching onto another animal or a human and sucking their blood. You often can't feel them when they latch on and so may be surprised to look down and find yourself being eaten for lunch. Leeches aren't all bad. Doctors use them to help with blood clots and to improve circulation to areas of the body after surgery.

Wetlands are also home to an amazing number of birds. Many birds would go extinct without wetland habitat in which to breed, build nests, raise young, feed and rest along migratory routes.

PEOPLE AND FRESHWATER WETLANDS: Freshwater wetlands, like estuaries, provide very valuable services to people. They provide fish to eat and flood protection during storms. They also filter our water, giving us clean water to drink. Because of these valuable services, it is important that we work to conserve our wetlands.
LINKS: Wetlands 101 What is a Wetland? U.S. EPA - America's Wetlands California Wetlands Information System Australian Museum - Animals of Freshwater Habitats Natural History of Nova Scotia - Freshwater Wetlands Habitats
Back to Biomes Index

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LOCATION: Wetlands are areas where standing water covers the soil or an area where the ground is very wet. Unlike estuaries , freshwater wetlands are not connected to the ocean. They can be found along the boundaries of streams, lakes, ponds or even in large shallow holes that fill up with rainwater.

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Wetland Biome Description

The wetland biome is one that many people don't really see as being important. In fact, in many areas they consider it to be a nuisance. Swampland is the most common type of wetland biome you will find. They also include marshes and bogs and they can be various sizes. Some of them are very long and deep. Others are nothing more than a few feet of water in a given location but they are still very important.

In a wetland biome the water is always going to be standing still. You will find them in many low lying areas. It is common for them to be very close to lakes, rivers, and streams. They may have water in them all the time or only during particular times of the year. That is a key factor that separates it from other forms of biomes. The combination of both land and water are essential for this biome to form.

They help the environment to be better due to the fact that they have a natural supply of water. They help to prevent flooding in many locations as they are able to take on excess water from the other sources. However, when a river or lake is low they can also release water back into them. They also have the natural ability to purify surface water.

Plant matter is released into freshwater biomes from a wetland biome. The importance of this is that it allows for fish to have plenty of types of food for them to survive. Florida has one of the largest wetland biomes in the world. The humid conditions are perfect for such forms of plant and animal life to be able to survive.

Louisiana has long been a home for various wetland biomes. Unfortunately, Hurricane Katrina has destroyed many of these areas. The changes in the environment proved to be too much for them to fully recover from. In some areas they are slowly recovering but only time will tell how it turns out. Protecting the wetland biomes has to be a priority though due to the fact that they are so important to those other biomes around them.

Wetland Biome Characteristics

In a wetland biome the conditions are always very moist and humid. What you will find with characteristics can be very specific to a given location. That is because the wetland biome is so frequently going to overlap with or be a part of other biomes out there. Without this particular one though many others wouldn't be able to thrive as they do.

The only places on Earth where you won't find the wetlands biome are around the Artic. The tundra there is too cold and frozen for them to develop. Just about every other biome though is associated with them in some way. In fact, many times the wetland biome is overlooked by people due to where it happens to be located. Experts though know what to look for and have been able to fully identify them.

Wetland biomes can be made up of freshwater or saltwater. In some regions they are actually a combination of both. The type of water that is found in it will strongly affect the types of life that are able to survive there. The delicate ecosystems in place around these areas are very detailed. When you take the time and effort to examine them closely you will be very surprised by what you find.

Wetland Biome Flora and Fauna

It may surprise you to discover that the wetland biome has more diversity than any other biome out there when it comes to animal life. There are plenty of animals that find this to be the perfect home for them. They have the right climate, access to food, and the shelter they need for survival. Amphibians and due very well in this type of environment. They include frogs and lizards.

Birds are also found in this type of environment. Many of them live there all year long. Others will be there for part of the year and then migrate. There are also those that stop to feed along a route to a new location in the wetland biome. With some species of birds it is found that they move from one wetland biome to the next along their migration patterns.

Alligators and crocodiles are the largest animals found in the wetland biome. In some wetland biomes there is salt content in the water. When that is the case you may find some more diversity in those locations. Those living creatures include shrimp and shellfish.

Beavers, minks, and rats are the fur bearing creatures you may find around a wetland biome. The size of them and the location will depend on many factors. For the beaver it will be determined by if they have enough for food. They also need various materials to build a dam from for shelter.

Plant life that grows in the wetland biome are referred to as hydrophytes. They include pond lilies, cattails, tamarack, and blue spruce. Sometimes cypress and gum will be present too but it will depend on the actual location of the habitat. There are numerous types of grasses that grow in a wetland biome. Sometimes shrubs with fruits including the cranberry can be found in these locations.

Threats and Conservation

Many wetland biomes are severely threatened though. Most humans fail to realize just how beneficial they are to the environment. As a result, they end up trying to destroy them and then build on those areas. In fact, some refer to the wetlands as the wastelands. They are often drained and then used for other purposes. Not thoughts are given to the forms of plant and animal life that reside in them.

Global warming has also lead to many wetland biomes drying up. The additional heat combined with less rainfall often means that there isn't enough water for them. At the very least many of them are getting smaller than they were before. As a result they can't substantiate the same volume of plants and animals as they once were able to.

Experts often worry about the wetland biomes as they seem to be very fragile. When there are problems such as pollution or with the land not being managed properly they aren't going to be a success. There are currently many organizations in place with the goal of getting everyone to be more aware of why the wetlands are so important.

In some areas the efforts have gone as far as to try to get courts to pose injunctions of building where wetland biomes exist. They want to restore these lands and even see them grow rather than being destroyed. It is a complex issue with supporters on both sides with reasons why they should have it their own way.

The benefits of all biomes including the wetlands though far outweigh the alternatives. We often don't realize that our own quality of life often depends on the balances that are in place among the various biomes. When we take actions that damage the wetland biomes or destroy them, we can also cause a chain reaction. Without realizing it we can cause problems for other biomes as well.

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The wetland biome is one that many people don't really see as being important. In fact, in many areas they consider it to be a nuisance. Swampland is the most common type of wetland biome you will find. They also include marshes and bogs and they can be various sizes.

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Aquatic Biomes Wetlands | Biology | Ecology

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The Basics of Freshwater: Crash Course Kids 14.1

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:::: What's It Like Where You Live? ::::

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LOCATION: Freshwater ecosystems include lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams. Lakes are large bodies of freshwater surrounded by land, while ponds are smaller bodies of water surrounded by land. Lake Baikal, in central Asia, is the biggest lake on Earth; it contains about one fifth of the Earth's freshwater and has a maximum depth of 5,315 feet (1,620 meters)! Lake Tahoe is a huge lake on the border of California and Nevada that originates from mountain stream runoff. Most lakes are still and contain diverse plant and animal life. Rivers and streams are moving bodies of freshwater, which usually originate in mountains and come from melting ice or ground water and eventually flow into the ocean. For example, the Amazon River originates in the Andes Mountains and ends in the Atlantic Ocean. Over time, as rivers travel, they change course and carve a path through the land. This causes ox bow lakes, caverns, and canyons. The place where fresh and salt-water meet is called anestuary. A unique place where two habitats come together is called an ecotone. Because estuaries are usually shallow, sunlight can reach all levels of the water.

PLANTS: Plants and algae are important to freshwater biomes because they provide oxygen through photosynthesis, and food for animals in this biome. Yum, delicious algae. In fact, that slimy scum you see on the surface of a pond or lake is lunch for many of your favorite aquatic animals, like turtles. In fast streams and rivers many plants have special structures that keep them from being carried away by the water. Some aquatic plants have strong roots that keep them anchored securely, while others have stems that bend easily with the movement of the water. Certain mosses are able to cling to rocks. Plants who live in still waters have different adaptations. Water lilies, algae, and duckweed float on the surface. Cattails and reeds grow along the shoreline of many freshwater ecosystems.Estuaries house plant life with the unique adaptation of being able to survive in fresh and salty environments. Mangroves and pickleweed are just some examples of estuarine plants.

ANIMALS: Many animals live in freshwater ecosystems. Some need the movement of the stream or river water to survive. In fast moving waters animals that have to hold onto rocks and the bottom may have suction-cup like structures on their bodies. Others thrive in still water environments, like lakes. There are a variety of fish, birds, insects, amphibians, and crustaceans that make freshwater biomes their home. One important freshwater animal in the United States is the trout. Many people love to fish for, and eat trout. Trout live in both streams and rivers. They eat fish and insects.Estuaries are rich in animal life and are often a protected area where juvenile creatures seek refuge. There are also a variety of animals who live inestuaries that people like to eat, for example clams, shrimp and lots of fish.

PEOPLE AND FRESHWATER BIOMES: Without freshwater biomes you and I would not be alive. Freshwater ecosystems are important because they provide us water for drinking; energy and transportation; recreation, like boating and fishing; and many jobs, like fishermen and researchers. One way that people use rivers is to produce hydroelectric power. As water passes through a dam, and into a river below electricity is produced. A device inside the dam called a turbine uses magnets, metal, and the movement from the water to produce electricity. When a dam is built, an artificial lake is created behind the dam. Dams can be viewed as good and bad. Dams may provide pollution-free energy, and create lakes for people to enjoy, but they can also damage the environment. Salmon are a species that use rivers to spawn, and are often hurt by dams. Wetlands are also an important type of freshwater ecosystem. They may be soggy and stinky, but they provide critical habitat for tons of plants and animals, help clean our water, control floods, and provide food for humans. Did you know that cranberries come from wetlands?

So, what can we do to help freshwater biomes? First of all, we can conserve water. By using less water, we can help ensure that there is enough water for a healthy biome. We should also be careful not to pollute. Be careful what you put down the drain. By fertilizing the lawn with chemicals and allowing our cars to drip nasty oils and fluids we are polluting freshwater biomes. The rain carries these pollutants down storm drains into rivers, streams, lakes and ponds. Another thing you can do to help is get involved! Volunteer with a stream team, or community group that works together to monitor and restore nearby freshwater biomes. By doing this you will learn more about freshwater ecosystems and get to see the cool plants and animals that make these biomes their home.
LINKS:
Freshwater ecosystems: What's it like where you live?
Freshwater Ecology All Along a River
Aquatic Ecosystems (available in English or French)
KidzWorld: Aquatic Biomes US EPA: Wetlands US EPA: What you can do to protect your watershed Natural History of Nova Scotia - Freshwater Habitats
Back to Biomes Index

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LOCATION: Freshwater ecosystems include lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams. Lakes are large bodies of freshwater surrounded by land, while ponds are smaller bodies of water surrounded by land. Lake Baikal, in central Asia, is the biggest lake on Earth; it contains about one fifth of the Earth's freshwater and has a maximum depth of 5,315 feet (1,620 meters)!

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Freshwater Biome Facts

Description of Freshwater Biome

A freshwater biome is one that many people overlook the importance of. They are much smaller bodies of water, but important just the same. These freshwater biomes include lakes, rivers, streams, and creeks. They all dump water into a marsh area, typically from the mouth of the rivers. Some that people never consider though include ditches, gutters, canals, and even puddles. They too can be a freshwater biome due to the fact that life will use them for survival.

Freshwater biomes cover 1/5 of the Earth and they are vital to our survival. More than half of the drinking water for humans and animals comes from this resource. When you take your daily shower you often just turn on the faucet and take it for granted. However, just about all of that water comes initially from a freshwater biome resource.

These bodies of water don't have to be very deep at all. They can be as low as only one foot of water in them. They never have more than six feet of water in them. The Florida Everglades in the United States is the biggest freshwater biome in the world. However, you will find freshwater biomes all over the world.

They are very important to the overall balance of things. Some people assume that this is the largest of all biomes but it isn't. It is simply the fact that the freshwater biomes are so spread out every where you look that gives the impression that they do make up a larger area than they really do.

Freshwater Biome Characteristics

The freshwater biome is a location where there is plenty of nutrition and minerals. That is why so many types of plants and animals are able to thrive in such a location. You may not realize it but salt water can be very harsh. Such conditions aren't ideal for many forms of plants and animal life. However, they are able to do very well in bodies of freshwater.

They vary in size significantly which can make giving characteristics of them difficult. However, as long as there is a pool of water that is free of salt it can be considered a freshwater biome. They are able to take on a vital importance in ways most of us don't realize. The dips and ruts that shape them allow for water to be collected. When this occurs, the risk of flooding is alleviated in many areas. That water will be in one given area.

There is sediment found at the bottom of a freshwater biome. The slow moving or still water of them allows for it to remain in place. Unlike an ocean biome with salt water which is always moving, some freshwater biomes remain still all the time. Approximately 70% of the water that is used to irrigate crops comes from freshwater biomes. That amount can be more or less in a given area depending on the annual amount of rainfall.

Freshwater Biome Flora and Fauna

There is no shortage of animals or plants living in a freshwater biome. It is believed that more than 700 species of fish, 1,200 species of amphibians, mollusks, and insects all live in these areas. Many of them are very tiny so they may seem unimportant or be easy to miss. Yet they have a significant role in their environment just like the larger and well known inhabitants of such a location.

There are plenty of great animals that live in the water of the freshwater biome. They include frogs, crab, shrimp, turtles, and tadpoles. Some of them live both in the water and on the land around it including the beaver. The otter may be found living here as well. In large freshwater biomes the manatee could be present as well.

Fish are very common in the freshwater biome. In fact, these areas often draw people to them for fishing and relaxation. The types of fish you will find depend on the location and the time of year. It could be bass, salmon, or trout. The size of these fish can vary significantly as well. If they have lots of smaller fish to consume they will usually become a decent size.

There are plenty of animals that live just on land around the water. They include the raccoon, earthworms, and possums. The area is also very dominant by the presence of mosquitoes. However, where there is freshwater you will often find a huge number of different types of mammals. Many of them rely on the water to offer them a place for drinking.

You will find many species of low lying plants growing in the freshwater biome. This includes different types of grass and sedge. Sometimes you will find some trees in the freshwater biome, but they aren't plentiful. There are plenty of plants that you may not be able to identify in such an area. They include spike rush, bull rush, pickerel weed, cattail, and water lily.

Cyanobacteria is the blue and green algae that you will find in most freshwater biomes. There are many animals that depend on this to feed if they are going to survive in such an environment. Flies and water fleas wouldn't be able to exist without that algae. You may be saying who cares as they are merely pests. Yet they provide adequate amounts of food for birds, amphibians, and many other living things in the freshwater biome.

What many experts have noted though is that there are very few types of plants that can't grow well in a freshwater biome. It is also important to note that the freshwater biome has the second largest diversity among the plants and animals that are found within it. This makes it both exciting to explore and a vital benefit to Earth as a whole.

What you will find living in a freshwater biome may surprise you in terms of the animals and plants that are found in it and around it. Even very small bodies of water can be more than sufficient to help sustain life in that area. There are several zones in freshwater biomes such as those around wetlands and those around estuaries. There is quite a variation in temperatures, amounts of water, and what will be found living in them.

Global Warming and Pollution

There are a couple of risk factors that are very serious threats to the freshwater biomes. The first has to do with pollution. Various forms of free radicals in the air can make it hard for animals to thrive and plants to grow like they should. Pollution due to human waste and chemical run off are also a problem in most areas.

Global warming is also a concern for many freshwater biomes. The level of water in them can make a huge difference when it comes to what is able to live there. Many of these locations with very small levels of water of completely dried up. Others are at risk of doing so in the near future. Many have drastically less water in them than they did just a decade ago.

With the number of people turning to bottled water, less is being consumed from the freshwater biome. However, there has been research to show bottled water has lots of contaminants in it. As consumers learn this they are less likely to continue spending their money on it. Plus, bottled water is a huge concern because so much of the plastic from the empty bottles ends up in the freshwater biome.

Freshwater Biome Related Information

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A freshwater biome is one that many people overlook the importance of. They are much smaller bodies of water, but important just the same. These freshwater biomes include lakes, rivers, streams, and creeks. They all dump water into a marsh area, typically from the mouth of the rivers.

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Home | Online exhibits | The world's biomes

Freshwater is defined as having a low salt concentration — usually less than 1%. Plants and animals in freshwater regions are adjusted to the low salt content and would not be able to survive in areas of high salt concentration (i.e., ocean). There are different types of freshwater regions:

Ponds and lakes

These regions range in size from just a few square meters to thousands of square kilometers. Scattered throughout the earth, several are remnants from the Pleistocene glaciation. Many ponds are seasonal, lasting just a couple of months (such as sessile pools) while lakes may exist for hundreds of years or more. Ponds and lakes may have limited species diversity since they are often isolated from one another and from other water sources like rivers and oceans. Lakes and ponds are divided into three different "zones" which are usually determined by depth and distance from the shoreline.

The topmost zone near the shore of a lake or pond is the littoral zone. This zone is the warmest since it is shallow and can absorb more of the Sun's heat. It sustains a fairly diverse community, which can include several species of algae (like diatoms), rooted and floating aquatic plants, grazing snails, clams, insects, crustaceans, fishes, and amphibians. In the case of the insects, such as dragonflies and midges, only the egg and larvae stages are found in this zone. The vegetation and animals living in the littoral zone are food for other creatures such as turtles, snakes, and ducks.

The near-surface open water surrounded by the littoral zone is the limnetic zone. The limnetic zone is well-lighted (like the littoral zone) and is dominated by plankton, both phytoplankton and zooplankton. Plankton are small organisms that play a crucial role in the food chain. Without aquatic plankton, there would be few living organisms in the world, and certainly no humans. A variety of freshwater fish also occupy this zone.

Plankton have short life spans — when they die, they fall into the deep-water part of the lake/pond, the profundal zone. This zone is much colder and denser than the other two. Little light penetrates all the way through the limnetic zone into the profundal zone. The fauna are heterotrophs, meaning that they eat dead organisms and use oxygen for cellular respiration.

Temperature varies in ponds and lakes seasonally. During the summer, the temperature can range from 4° C near the bottom to 22° C at the top. During the winter, the temperature at the bottom can be 4° C while the top is 0° C (ice). In between the two layers, there is a narrow zone called the thermocline where the temperature of the water changes rapidly. During the spring and fall seasons, there is a mixing of the top and bottom layers, usually due to winds, which results in a uniform water temperature of around 4° C. This mixing also circulates oxygen throughout the lake. Of course there are many lakes and ponds that do not freeze during the winter, thus the top layer would be a little warmer.

Streams and rivers

These are bodies of flowing water moving in one direction. Streams and rivers can be found everywhere — they get their starts at headwaters, which may be springs, snowmelt or even lakes, and then travel all the way to their mouths, usually another water channel or the ocean. The characteristics of a river or stream change during the journey from the source to the mouth. The temperature is cooler at the source than it is at the mouth. The water is also clearer, has higher oxygen levels, and freshwater fish such as trout and heterotrophs can be found there. Towards the middle part of the stream/river, the width increases, as does species diversity — numerous aquatic green plants and algae can be found. Toward the mouth of the river/stream, the water becomes murky from all the sediments that it has picked up upstream, decreasing the amount of light that can penetrate through the water. Since there is less light, there is less diversity of flora, and because of the lower oxygen levels, fish that require less oxygen, such as catfish and carp, can be found.

Wetlands

Wetlands are areas of standing water that support aquatic plants. Marshes, swamps, and bogs are all considered wetlands. Plant species adapted to the very moist and humid conditions are called hydrophytes. These include pond lilies, cattails, sedges, tamarack, and black spruce. Marsh flora also include such species as cypress and gum. Wetlands have the highest species diversity of all ecosystems. Many species of amphibians, reptiles, birds (such as ducks and waders), and furbearers can be found in the wetlands. Wetlands are not considered freshwater ecosystems as there are some, such as salt marshes, that have high salt concentrations — these support different species of animals, such as shrimp, shellfish, and various grasses.

Visit our gallery of wetlands images, which illustrate the amazing diversity of wetland ecosystems.

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Home | Online exhibits | The world's biomes Freshwater is defined as having a low salt concentration - usually less than 1%. Plants and animals in freshwater regions are adjusted to the low salt content and would not be able to survive in areas of high salt concentration (i.e., ocean).

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Freshwater Biome: Location, Climate, Plants, Animals and Threats - Conserve Energy Future

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The freshwater biome is of significant importance in the world, yet so many fail to realize its importance. These biomes consist of small bodies of water, such as creeks, lakes, streams, and rivers.

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The Basics of Freshwater: Crash Course Kids 14.1

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Aquatic Biomes Freshwater | Biology | Ecology

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:::: What's It Like Where You Live? ::::

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:::: What's It Like Where You Live? ::::

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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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Taiga Animal Printouts

A taiga, also called a boreal forest or northern coniferous forest, is a cold woodland or forest. This biome span the northern parts of North America, Europe, and Asia. Taigas are generally located south of tundras and north of temperate deciduous forests and temperate grasslands. The taiga is the largest land biome on Earth, covering about 50 million acres of land (20 million hectares); this is about 17% of the Earth's land area. Taiga is a Russian word for marshy pine forest.

The taiga is characterized by a cold, harsh climate, a low rate of precipitation (snow and rain), and short growing season. There are two types of taigas: open woodlands with widely spaced trees, and dense forests whose floor is generally in shade.

Taigas are relatively low in animal diversity because of the harsh winters. Some taiga animals are able to cope with the cold winter environment, but many migrate south to warmer climates during the winter and others go into hibernation.

Some animals found in taigas:

Brown Bear
The Brown Bear is a large bear with a muscular hump on its shoulders.

The Canada goose is a large North American bird that honks.

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taiga  animal coloring pages taigas cold forest boreal forest cold climate forest northern coniferous forest

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Taiga Animal Printouts - EnchantedLearning.com

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Advertisement. EnchantedLearning.com is a user-supported site. As a bonus, site members have access to a banner-ad-free version of the site, with print-friendly pages. Click here to learn more. (Already a member? Click here.) Taiga Animal Printouts A taiga, also called a boreal forest or northern coniferous forest, is a cold woodland or forest.

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taiga, also called boreal forest, biome (major life zone) of vegetation composed primarily of cone-bearing needle-leaved or scale-leaved evergreen trees, found in northern circumpolar forested regions characterized by long winters and moderate to high annual precipitation. The taiga, "land of the little sticks" in Russian, takes its name from the collective term for the northern forests of Russia, especially Siberia.

The taiga, which is also known as the boreal (meaning northern) forest region, occupies about 17 percent of Earth's land surface area in a circumpolar belt of the far Northern Hemisphere. Northward beyond this limit, the taiga merges into the circumpolar tundra. The taiga is characterized predominantly by a limited number of conifer species-i.e., pine ( Pinus), spruce ( Picea), larch ( Larix), fir ( Abies)-and to a lesser degree by some deciduous genera such as birch ( Betula) and poplar ( Populus). These trees reach the highest latitudes of any trees on Earth. Plants and animals in the taiga are adapted to short growing seasons of long days that vary from cool to warm. Winters are long and very cold, the days are short, and a persistent snowpack is the norm. The taiga biomes of North America and Eurasia display a number of similarities, even sharing some plant and animal species.

Origin

During the final period of maximum cold temperatures (23,000 to 16,500 years ago) in the latter part of the Pleistocene Ice Age (which ended 11,700 years ago), species that now constitute the taiga were displaced as far south as 30° N latitude by the continental glaciers of Europe, Asia, and North America and by the hyperarid and extremely cold environments of unglaciated Asia and North America. As the glaciers began to retreat gradually about 18,000 years ago, species of the taiga began to move northward in Europe and North America. In eastern and central North America the northward movement of the forest was relatively steady and gradual. An exception to this progression occurred about 9,000 years ago in western Canada, when white spruce spread rapidly northward across 2,000 km (1,240 miles) of newly deglaciated land in only 1,000 years. This rapid migration resulted from seed dispersal facilitated by strong northward winds caused by clockwise atmospheric circulation around the remnant ice cap of northern Quebec and the western part of Hudson Bay.

Because so much of Earth's water was bound up in ice at this time, sea levels were lower than they are today, and this allowed migrations of various terrestrial species to occur. Many areas that are now islands were then connected to the nearby mainland; e.g., the British Isles were linked to Europe. As the climate warmed during the last stages of the glacial period, but before the sea level rose to its current position, some plants and animals of the mainland European taiga ecosystem migrated to Britain. This biota exists today as part of the taiga in the Highlands of Scotland. The areas of lowland central Alaska, the central Yukon territory, and the Far East region of Russia, which had climates too arid to permit the formation of ice sheets, were connected by the Bering Land Bridge, across which many species migrated. As a result, today across Alaska a gradient in plant characteristics can be observed, ranging from typical North American forms in the east to those with Eurasian characteristics in the west.

Distribution

The taiga regions of North America and Eurasia are broad belts of vegetation that span their respective continents from Atlantic to Pacific coasts. In North America the taiga occupies much of Canada and Alaska. Although related transition forest types are present in the northern tier of the lower 48 United States, true taiga stops just north of the southern Canadian border. The vast taiga of Asia extends across Russia and southward into northeastern China and Mongolia. In Europe most of Finland, Sweden, and Norway are covered with taiga. A small, isolated area of boreal forest in the Scottish Highlands lacks some continental species but does contain the most widespread conifer of the Eurasian taiga, Scotch pine ( Pinus sylvestris).

The position of the taiga generally is controlled by the degree of warmth experienced during the growing season, the temperature of the soil, and the extreme minimum winter temperature. The taiga biome consists of three roughly parallel zones: closed-canopy forest, lichen woodland or sparse taiga, and forest-tundra. The closed-canopy forest is the southernmost portion of the taiga. It contains the greatest richness of species, the warmest soils, the highest productivity, and the longest growing season within the boreal zone. North of the closed-canopy forest is the lichen woodland-a smaller parallel zone of sparse forest or woodland in which tree crowns do not form a closed canopy. Lichen mats and tundralike vegetation make up a significant portion of the ground cover. To the north of the lichen woodland lies forest-tundra, which occurs along the northern edge of tree growth (tree line). Patches of trees consisting of only a few species dot restricted portions of the landscape, forming a complex mosaic with tundra. Many trees in the forest-tundra zone have never been known to produce viable seeds or have done so only sporadically. These trees were established during warmer climatic episodes from a few hundred to a few thousand years ago and have persisted since, usually by vegetative (asexual) reproduction. Forest fires in this zone remove trees, and, because of the lack of reproduction, only unburned patches of trees remain.

The closed-canopy forest, or southern taiga zone, on both continents is not distributed along a strictly east-west axis. At the western margin of Europe, the warming influence of the Gulf Stream allows the closed-canopy forest to grow at its northernmost location, generally between about 60° and 70° N. In western North America the Kuroshio and North Pacific currents likewise warm the climate and cause the northward deflection of the forest into Alaska and Yukon in Canada. On the eastern margin of the continents, the taiga is deflected southward to between about 50° and 60° N by the cold polar air masses that flow south along these coasts. This is the southernmost limit of the taiga, to the south of which, in humid eastern North America and Europe, lies a northern deciduous broad-leaved transition forest. In this forest small stands of boreal conifers are distributed on cooler or less-productive sites such as peaty wetlands. In the arid centre of both continents, the closed-canopy boreal forest is bordered to the south by a forest parkland of trees and grassland.

The central portions of Eurasia and North America are regions of flat or gently rolling topography. There, the northern and southern boundaries of the taiga are broad and gradual; they have fluctuated by as much as 200 km (125 miles) during the past few thousand years. A well-defined but complex boundary is formed between taiga and alpine tundra on the mountains of the Pacific edge in western North America and the Far East region of Russia. Generally, the taiga does not come into contact with the humid temperate or subpolar rainforest of coastal Alaska and British Columbia because of high mountain barriers, but some low-elevation regions have a transition zone often characterized by trees that are a hybrid of Sitka spruce ( Picea sitchensis) and white spruce ( P. glauca). In Norway and Scotland a variant form of the taiga occupies extremely humid environments.

Practically all the large river systems of the taiga of Siberia, including the Ob, Yenisey, and Lena rivers, are northward-flowing. The Ob in western Siberia forms a great lowland basin with a considerable percentage of the land surface covered with poorly drained peaty wetlands. In such situations within the taiga a closed-canopy forest is generally absent.

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Taiga | Plants, Animals, Climate, Location, & Facts

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Taiga, biome composed mainly of cone-bearing needle-leaved or scale-leaved evergreen trees, found in northern circumpolar regions typified by long winters and moderate to high annual precipitation. Taiga, 'land of the little sticks' in Russian, is named for the term for Russia's northern forests, especially Siberia.

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Similar to the temperate grasslands , this biome is dominated by only a few plant species. There are only 4 tree genera that dominate this biome: pine ( ), fir ( ), evergreen spruce ( ), and deciduous larch AKA tamarack ( ). There are also a few broadleaf deciduous trees that live here but in much smaller numbers: alder ( ), birch ( ), and aspen ( ).

Though it varies across the landscape, in general, in North America, a few species of fir and spruce are dominant, while through Scandinavia and western Russia the Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris) is common. Last, in the evergreen taiga larch trees are mainly found.

The cold adapted coniferous trees that dominate here have the following key adaptations:

The conical shape of these trees, smaller branches up top and wide ones further down, helps the snow to distribute more evenly across the tree and also to fall to the ground and prevent branches from breaking from the weight.

The thin needles have less surface area and waxy cuticles to avoid water loss in the dry winds and in winter when most available water is frozen. As well, the dark color of the needles helps to absorb more of the sun's heat and stay warm. Last, the needles are also full of resins and other chemicals to help them from freezing. As talked about above, these needles also help reduce competition by causing an inhospitable environment for other plants. This adaptation is called allelopathy.

They have very shallow roots compared to other trees, for example,Black spruce trees have been found growing in soil only 50 cm (20 inches) deep!

The short growing season makes it difficult to drop leaves and regrow them in time for summer, so by keeping their needles all winter, evergreen trees can start to photosynthesize as soon as it warms up, without having to wait for new leaves to grow.

However, in the most extreme cold and dry, like in Siberia, this trade off doesn't work, because keeping leaves through winter takes too much energy, so larch trees that live here are deciduous, dropping their needles during the deep winter in order to go dormant and not waste energy trying to keep their leaves alive and retain water.

The deciduous angiosperm trees that live here are fewer in number but have found ways to survive. They are found in bigger numbers further south where conditions are less harsh, but are spread throughout the rest of the forests too. Often they are more common in successional areas that are recovering from a disturbance, where the more successful gymnosperm trees have not had a chance to establish yet, or near water bodies. The adaptations they have to survive here include some of these examples:

Many of them are able to live in more waterlogged soils that coniferous trees have a harder time surviving in, so they take up this unused niche and have less competition.

Aspens actually have some chlorophyll in their bark, so they can photosynthesize small amounts in winter and in early spring while waiting for their first leaves to grow in.

Alder trees have bacteria-filled nodules in their roots that help them to convert nitrogen into food when they are not able to photosynthesize, and for additional food while they can.

After trees, mosses and lichens are the most common. Lichens are actually an interesting symbiotic relationship between a fungi and algae, where the fungi provides a sturdy base and protection for the algae, while the algae photosynthesis and makes the energy. Lichens can grow both on trees and on the ground and are extremely hardy, living in the worst conditions world wide. Moss doesn't need thick well developed soils, nor very much light, absorbing most of its water from the air, and being able to go dormant during very dry conditions, it survives well here. In many regions moss grows so thick that it carpets the ground (another thing keeping moisture in the soil) and prevents a lot of other plants from growing through taking all the available space on the forest floor, this is known as spatial dominance.

Grasses, some flowering plants, and shrubs make a living where they can. Shrubs such as rowan ( ), blueberry ( ), high-bush cranberry ( ), and low-bush cranberry ( Vaccinium vitis-idaea ) can be common. These plants grow close to the ground, have thick waxy leaves to prevent drying out, and reproduce by making brightly-colored and tasty berries that are eaten by birds and mammals that disperse the seeds by moving around and later expelling them with their waste.

Things such as willow bushes ( Salicaceae ) and wild rose shrubs ( Rosa acicularis ) survive frequent fires through their ability to regrow from unburnt rhizomes, which are like an adapted root that helps the plant grow outwards underground. Other plants, such as aspen trees or fireweed ( Chamaenerion angustifolium ) have winged or parachute like seeds that can be carried away on the wind and land in unburnt areas. As mentioned before, many coniferous trees, like jack pine ( Pinus banksiana ) as another example, are serotinous and need fire to activate their seeds. This allows the seeds to start to germinate after an area has been cleared of deadfall and other competing plants, and lots of nutrients are newly available in the ash, giving them a better chance to grow.

An amazing adaptation to survive low nutrients is found in plants like pitcher plants (family Sarraceniaceae in the new world and Nepenthaceae in the old world). These plants are carnivorous, luring various arthropods into their pitcher-like flowers and digesting them in strong acids.

Eventually, enough peat can form that trees will even take root here and it will transform into a forest. This is a slow process though, not only because of slow decomposition, but because these areas are even more acidic and low in oxygen than the poor soils around it. Before trees move in, you can find more resilient plants that are adjusted to these conditions, like the various berry-bearing bushes mentioned earlier.

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Boreal Forests | World Biomes | The Wild Classroom

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Similar to the temperate grasslands , this biome is dominated by only a few plant species. There are only 4 tree genera that dominate this biome: pine ( ), fir ( ), evergreen spruce ( ), and deciduous larch AKA tamarack ( ).

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The taiga is a forest of the cold, subarctic region. The subarctic is an area of the Northern Hemisphere that lies just south of the Arctic Circle.

Subjects

Biology, Earth Science, Geography, Physical Geography

The taiga is a forest of the cold, subarctic region. The subarctic is an area of the Northern Hemisphere that lies just south of the Arctic Circle. The taiga lies between the tundra to the north and temperate forests to the south.

Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia, and Siberia have taigas. In Russia, the world's largest taiga stretches about 5,800 kilometers (3,600 miles), from the Pacific Ocean to the Ural Mountains. This taiga region was completely glaciated, or covered by glaciers, during the last ice age.

The soil beneath the taiga often contains permafrost-a layer of permanently frozen soil. In other areas, a layer of bedrock lies just beneath the soil. Both permafrost and rock prevent water from draining from the top layers of soil. This creates shallow bogs known as muskegs. Muskegs can look like solid ground, because they are covered with moss, short grasses, and sometimes even trees. However, the ground is actually wet and spongy.

Plants and Fungi

Taigas are thick forests. Coniferous trees, such as spruce, pine, and fir, are common. Coniferous trees have needles instead of broad leaves, and their seeds grow inside protective, woody cones. While deciduous trees of temperate forests lose their leaves in winter, conifers never lose their needles. For this reason, conifers are also called "evergreens."

Conifers have adapted to survive the long, cold winters and short summers of the taiga. Their needles contain very little sap, which helps prevent freezing. Their dark color and triangle-shaped sides help them catch and absorb as much of the sun's light as possible. In the taiga, tree growth is thickest beside muskegs and lakes formed by glaciers.

Taigas have few native plants besides conifers. The soil of the taiga has few nutrients. It can also freeze, making it difficult for many plants to take root. The larch is one of the only deciduous trees able to survive in the freezing northern taiga.

Instead of shrubs and flowers, mosses, lichens, and mushrooms cover the floor of a taiga. These organisms can grow directly on the ground, or have very shallow roots. They can survive in the cold, and with little water or sunlight.

Animals of the Taiga

Many kinds of animals live in the taiga. All animals have to be well-adapted to the cold. Birds native to the taiga usually migrate south during the freezing winter months. Small animals, mostly rodents, live close to the floor. Many birds of prey, such as owls and eagles, hunt these animals from the trees of the taiga.

Moose, the largest type of deer in the world, is able to live in the cold taiga. Like all deer, moose are herbivores. They favor the aquatic plants growing on the taiga's bogs and streams.

Few large carnivorous animals live in the taiga. Bears and lynx are fairly common. The largest cat in the world, the 300-kilogram (660-pound) Siberian tiger, is a native taiga species. Siberian tigers live in a small part of eastern Siberia. They hunt moose and wild boars.

Threats to Taigas

Taiga ecosystems are threatened by direct human activity and climate change. Animals of the taiga, such as foxes or bears, have always been hunted. Their warm fur and tough skin, turned into leather, have helped people survive in harsh climates for thousands of years.

The most serious threat to taigas does not come from hunting activity, however. Civilization is dependent on sturdy buildings for homes, industry, and schools. The trees of the taiga are cut down for lumber projects, as well as paper, cardboard, and other supplies. The export of wood and paper products is one of the most economically important industries in Canada, for instance.

Clearcutting is the most popular type of logging in taigas. Clearcutting involves cutting down all the trees in a designated area. This destroys habitats for many organisms that live in and around the trees, and makes it difficult for new trees to grow. Clearcutting also increases the risk of erosion and flooding in the taiga. Without a root system to anchor it, a taiga's soil can be blown away by wind or worn away by rain or snow. This exposes the bedrock and permafrost beneath the taiga, which does not support many forms of life.

Climate change puts taigas in danger in different ways. Warming climate contributes to a partial thawing of the permafrost. Since this water has no place to drain, more area of the taiga is taken over by muskegs. Few trees take root.

Warming temperature also changes animal habitats. It pushes native species out and attracts non-native species. Animals such as the Siberian tiger are not adapted to warm weather. Its coat is too heavy, and it stores too much body fat to thrive in a temperate habitat. Non-native insects such as the bark beetle can infest trees such as spruce. Millions of these insects bore into the bark of trees, laying eggs. The infested trees die. Bark beetle infestations can kill entire forests and thousands of hectares of taiga.

Fast Fact

Tipsy Timber
In drunken forests, trees tilt in different directions. These trees arent tipsy from beer or other alcohol, but from taiga soil conditions. When permafrost layers in the soil thaw, the ground sags. This causes nearby trees, which have very shallow roots, to lean toward the depression.

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The taiga is a forest of the cold, subarctic region. The subarctic is an area of the Northern Hemisphere that lies just south of the Arctic Circle.

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Internet Geography - Geographical resources online. Free geography resources including revision help, case studies, lesson plans, worksheets and schemes of work.

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Location | Weather | Plants | Animals | People | Links

LOCATION: There are two types of rainforest biomes: temperate and tropical rainforests. Temperate rainforests are found along coasts in temperate regions. The largest temperate rainforests are on the Pacific coast in North America, stretching from Alaska to Oregon. Other temperate rainforests are found along the coast of Chile, the United Kingdom, Norway, Japan, New Zealand, and S. Australia. Tropical rainforests are generally found between 30°N and 30°S latitudes, covering 6 - 7% of the Earth's land surface. Tropical rainforests can be found around the world: In Central and South America; in Western Africa, eastern Madagascar, and the Zaire basin; and in Indo-Malaysia along the west coast of India, Assam, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and Queensland, Australia.

WEATHER: Rainforests are important because they help maintain global weather patterns and rain. Water that evaporates from trees falls in other areas as rain.

Tropical rainforests are lush and warm all year long! Temperatures don't even change much between night and day. The average temperature in tropical rainforests ranges from 70 to 85°F (21 to 30°C). The environment is pretty wet in tropical rainforests, maintaining a high humidity of 77% to 88% year-round. The yearly rainfall ranges from 80 to 400 inches (200 to 1000 cm), and it can rain hard. It can downpour as much as 2 inches (5 cm) in an hour!

Temperate rainforests are also wet, but not as rainy as tropical rainforests. It rains about from 60 - 200 inches (150 - 500 cm) each year, while the other moisture comes from the coastal fog that lingers on the trees. The fog provides about 7 - 12 inches (18 - 30°C) of rain each year. Temperate rainforests are a lot cooler than tropical rainforests, but the temperatures are still mild. They often have two distinct seasons: one long wet winter, and a short drier summer.

PLANTS: One type of plant often found in a rainforest is an epiphyte. Epiphytes are plants that live on the surface of other plants, especially the trunks and branches. They often grow on trees to take advantage of sunlight in the canopy. In temperate rainforests common epiphytes are mosses and ferns, while in tropical rainforests there are many kinds of epiphytes, including orchids and bromeliads. There are more than 20,000 varieties of orchids found in the rainforest.

There are about 10 -2 0 species of trees in temperate rainforests that are mostly coniferous, meaning they have needles. Trees in temperate rainforests can live much longer than humans, some live for up to 1000 years! Tropical rainforests have a bigger variety of trees, hundreds of species in fact! These trees are mostly broadleaf trees and have a shorter lifespan. They usually live for 50 - 100 years.

Most trees in tropical rainforests have thin, smooth bark. They don't need thick bark to keep them from drying out because the rainforest is so wet. Also, smooth bark makes it difficult for other plants, such as epiphytes, to grow on the tree surface. Trees often have buttresses, large branching ridges near the base, for support because their roots are often shallow and they grow tall to reach the sunlight. Prop roots also help support trees in shallow soils. Many plants in the rainforests have adapted leaf shapes that help water drip off the plant to avoid too much moisture, which might make bacteria and fungus grow.

Tropical rainforests are so big that they are divided into four zones. The top layer of the rainforest is called the emergent layer. Giant trees grow here that are much taller than the trees below. The next layer is the canopy. It contains trees standing 60 to 150 feet (18 to 45 meters) tall. Their branches form a canopy, like a big beach umbrella that shades the forest floor. Thick, woody vines are found in the canopy. Over 2,500 species of vines grow in the rainforest. Some vines, called lianas, are sometimes as big around as a person! They climb the trees in the canopy to reach for sunlight. The next layer, the understory, is a dark, cool area below the canopy, but above the ground. The understory is shaded from much of the sunlight by the canopy. The forest floor is the bottom layer of the rainforest. This is the area where fallen, decomposing plants and trees lay on the ground. Many insects live here. Temperate rainforests have all of these zones except the emergent layer. The tallest trees in the temperate rainforest canopy grow to be about 300 feet (90 meters) tall.

ANIMALS: Tropical rainforests are home to half the plant and animal species on Earth. Scientists believe that there is such a great diversity of animals in tropical rainforests because they are one of the oldest ecosystems on earth. Some forests in Southeast Asia have been around for at least 100 million years, ever since dinosaurs roamed the earth. Animals in the tropical rainforest are specially adapted to live in this unique environment. A common characteristic found among mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, is an adaptation to living in trees. One example is New World monkeys that have prehensile tails that curl around branches allowing the monkey to hold onto the tree with its tail! Other animals are brightly colored, sharply patterned, have loud vocalizations, and like to eat lots of fruit. Most of the animals in the tropical rainforest live in the canopy. There is so much food available up there that some animals never go down to explore the forest floor! Birds are important to rainforests because they like to eat seeds and fruit. Their droppings grow into new plants and help rainforests to survive. In turn, tropical rainforests are important to birds because they provide winter grounds as migratory destination. Parrots are not the only type of birds you will see in the rainforest. In fact, about 27% of the bird species in the world live in tropical rainforests. Insects make up the largest single group of animals that live in tropical forests. They include bright beautiful butterflies, menacing mosquitoes, camouflaged stick insects, and colossal colonies of ants.

In temperate rainforests you'll find a different set of amazing animals. Most of these animals live on, or near the forest floor where they are protected from the wind and rain by the trees above. Many birds and small mammals, such as chipmunks, like to eat seeds that fall on the forest floor. Lots of insects live in the temperate rainforest. Most of them live in tree bark, decomposing dead plant matter, or mossy areas. Birds and amphibians like to eat these insects. Some mammals in the temperate rainforest include deer and bobcats. Cougars and bobcats are the top predators in this biome.

PEOPLE AND THE RAINFOREST: Tropical rainforests are important because they provide oxygen, take in carbon dioxide, and are a huge source of biodiversity and cultural diversity. However, people also rely on tropical rainforests for food, medicine, timber, travel, and more. Rainforests around the world provide people with food and spices, for example, allspice, vanilla, cacao, cassava, ginger, bananas, black pepper, sugar cane, nutmeg and more. Many people are also moving from crowded cities where they cannot find jobs into the rainforest where they are becoming small-scale farmers. With all of this use, we need to be concerned about the stress we are putting on rainforests. Thirty acres of trees are cut in tropical rainforests every minute! Some scientists estimate that rainforests the size of Pennsylvania are lost each year. There are many causes of deforestation. People are logging for firewood, charcoal, building materials and other uses. Trees are being removed for commercial agriculture, which may cause permanent damage. Converting rainforests to pasture land for cattle ranching has destroyed many rainforests. Mining for gold, bauxite, and other minerals can destroy the land, and make it vulnerable to erosion.

What can you do to help our world's rainforests? One way to start helping is to learn more about the plants, animals and people, as well as the issues surrounding rainforests and deforestation. When you learn about new issues, write letters to governmental officials and the newspaper suggesting ways to help solve the problem. Practice conservation at home. This will help reduce the use of rainforests, as well as ecosystems all over the world. Bauxite is a mineral used to make aluminum. By recycling, you will reduce the need for bauxite, which is mined in tropical rainforests. Pets from other countries may have been taken from the wild or imported illegally from tropical countries. If you buy pets that are captively bred in the United States, you will be sure that they didn't come from the rainforest, or another unique environment. Investigate the source of the wood for your furniture to see where it comes from, and if it was harvested sustainably. All of these actions will help protect rainforests all over the world.
LINKS: Rainforest Education Cool Planet: Tropical Rain Forest Rainforest Species Profiles Explore Africa's Rainforest National Geographic: Rainforests at Night Mongabay.com Geography for Kids: Tropical Rain Forests Tropical Rainforests: What's it Like Where You Live?

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Location | Weather | Plants | Animals | People | Links LOCATION: There are two types of rainforest biomes: temperate and tropical rainforests. Temperate rainforests are found along coasts in temperate regions. The largest temperate rainforests are on the Pacific coast in North America, stretching from Alaska to Oregon.

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The Southeast Asian rainforests are the oldest, consistent rainforests on Earth, dating back to the Pleistocene Epoch 70 million years ago. It has a biological richness and diversity unequaled by that of the Amazon or African rainforests. Yet Southeast Asia is losing its rainforests faster than any equatorial region, and has the fewest remaining primary rainforests. It is projected that most of the primary rainforests of Southeast Asia will be destroyed in the next 10 years.

Southeast Asia is a 3,100 mile long chain of about 20,000 islands strung between Asia and Australia. It covers and area of 1,112,000 square miles, almost twice the size of Alaska. The area lies from latitude 20° north and 16° south, and longitude 95° to 105° east. The average daily temperature varies from 70°F to 90°F. Humidity is always high.

Millions of years ago, as the rest of the world went through cooling and warming periods, the climate of the Southeast Asian region remained more or less the same. This was due mainly because of its location on the equator and being surrounded by water. Because the climate on the equator doesn't change much and the surrounding oceans provide plenty of moisture in the form of rain, the region was able to have consistent forests over very long periods of time. As sea levels rose and fell through warming and icing cycles, small pockets of forests survived as "forest refugia", or reservoirs of wildlife from which various species could reestablish themselves. Malaysia and the islands of Borneo, Sumatra and Java were all part of the same landmass during the last ice age. When the glaciers melted and sea levels rose many of these reservoirs were cut off from each other. This forced species to developed their own distinctive evolutionary paths in response to local environments, leading to an amazing diversity of species of every kind.

One interesting feature of the lowland rainforests of Malaysia, Borneo and Sumatra is the dominance of one family of trees, the Dipterocarpaceae. Dipterocarp are emergent trees and can reach heights of 120 feet. Their crowns are supported on large straight trunks. Many epiphytes, like orchids and ferns grow on the trees. Lianas, vines and strangler figs cling to the trees as they grow towards the sunlight. The emergent species is the tualang (Koompassia excelsa)which can reach heights of 280 feet. It is the 3rd tallest tree species in the world, and is almost never cut down because of its hard wood and massive buttresses. But most importantly it is home to large honey bees (Apis dorsata)whose honeycombs hang like enormous wedges from the underside of its branches. These trees are worth more money when left standing.

Trees and shrubs in the lower canopy have elongated crowns as the leaves reach for light. Shade tolerant species flourish here. Leaves are set at the best angle to receive light. Special swollen joints at the base of the stem, called pulvinus, rotate the leaf to follow the sun.

On the forest floor the soil is shallow with most nutrients close to the surface. Leaf litter and dead trees are quickly consumed and broken down by fungi, insects, and other decomposers. The nutrients decomposition creates are immediately taken up by the biomass of the forest. Because the nutrients are close to the surface, roots don't grow down very far, and trees have adapted by growing buttressed roots up to 30 ft high, or stilt roots which hang down from their trunks and branches.

There are many mutualistic relationships within the ecosystem of the rainforest. Dawn Bats are the prime pollinators of the durian tree. Each of the hundreds of fig species have their own species of pollinating wasp (Agaoninae spp), without which they would quickly fade into extinction and vise versa. Silvery gibbons (Hylobates moloch)live their entire lives in the high canopies of the dipterocarp forests, never descending to the ground. Their survival depends on the dipterocarp and fig trees which house and feed them throughout the year. Links within the tropical rainforest ecosystem extend to thousands of plants which support mammals and birds. If a keystone species is eliminated, additional losses will be triggered and create a dominoes effect of extinctions.

Trees don't flower and come into fruit at the same time in the Southeast Asian rainforest. Some trees only fruit once every three years, some only every ten year. The short nutrient cycle makes it difficult for trees to produce large amounts of fruit at regular intervals. Many trees complete the flowering cycle in only one day, and are only receptive for a few hours during the day or night. Very few trees depend on the wind for pollination since there is little air under the dense canopy. These trees depend on animals and insects to pollinate and disperse their seeds. Emergent trees like the Kapok (Ceiba pentandra), dipterocarps, or Tualang which can grow to heights of 240 ft, can afford to have air-borne seeds. Their crowns grow high above the canopy and are exposed to the winds that blow there.

When seeds drop to the ground they almost always need to germinate in shady conditions. The forest floor is a difficult place to begin life, and many seeds surround themselves with fleshy, aromatic pulp as an immediate source of food. Smell plays an important part of a plant's life cycle, and many plants will have strong smelling flowers and fruits. The Rafflesia smells like a rotting corps, and the durian fruit smells almost too bad to eat, although it is known as the King of Fruit and tastes delicious. The powerful smell attract animals and insects that eat and disperse the seeds far from their parent tree.

Hundreds of animal and plant species are on the brink of extinction in Southeast Asia. The critically endangered two-horned Sumatran rhinoceros survives in small forest pockets of Sumatra and Borneo. Their entire population is thought to be only 300 to 500 individuals. The Javan rhinoceros has already slipped into extinction. The Sumatran tiger, like its cousin the Javan tiger will soon be extinct as well. The Asian elephant is another large forest herbivore which needs large amounts of forest to survive. Human encroachment and logging are shrinking their habitat to the extent that they can no longer support the elephants. The Malayan tapir is the largest of the 4 species of tapir still alive and no more than 50 animals still live in the wild. Another animal found only on Sumatra and Borneo is the orangutan, or "man of the forest". They were once found on mainland Asia from Thailand to southern China. They feed mostly on fruit and move through the forest following the fruiting trees. There are thirteen separate species of primates in Borneo's lowland forests alone. Most have overlapping home ranges but have different diets and foraging methods.

The climate of Southeast Asia is classified as a tropical wet climate in the Köppen climate zone system. The climate is influenced by maritime wind systems which originate in the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. It has two monsoon seasons. The northeastern monsoon occurs from October to February and brings heavy rains to the eastern side of the islands. These storms carry the same punch as Atlantic hurricanes but spend much of their energy over the Phillipines. The southwestern monsoon is more powerful and occurs from April to August. Heavy rains saturate the western side of the island chain. Rain shadow effects create dryer but windy conditions on the opposite sides of the islands and the Malaysian peninsula during monsoon seasons. There are two inter-monsoon seasons between the two main monsoon seasons. Southeast Asian rainforests get an average of 79 inches of rain annually.

Any change in the monsoon cycle can have devastating results. In 1992-1993 one of the largest fires ever burned in Kalimantan. Widespread logging had degraded the primary forest and made it prone to fire. The drought brought on by the El Niño of that year created a catastrophe when agricultural fires got out of control. Twentyseven thousand square km burned out of control.

The same events unfolded in 1998. The El Niño of that year created a very weak monsoon season. Thousands of forest fires burned over Malaysia and the Indonesian archipelago, destroying rainforests and the plants and animals within them. A haze of smoke spread for thousands of miles across the region. Untold mutualistic relationships may have been destroyed, keystone species eliminated. It is still unclear what effects the events of 1998 had on the ecosystem of the rainforests. Unfortunately, in the year 2002 another strong El Niño is developing over the Pacific.

Political instability in the Indonesian archipelago has resulted in little law enforcement within protected wildlife areas. In 1992, feeling betrayed by the government of President Suharto, local people took control of the land and began indiscriminate logging and farming in the dipterocarp rainforests. Little regard has been given for the long-term environmental effects, and at the present rate of destruction there will be no primary lowland rainforests remaining in Indonesian Borneo by the next decade.

In Indonesia illegal logging has led to a "biological catastrophe" affecting thousands of plant and animal species and upsetting the natural biologic equilibrium that keeps a rainforest healthy and stable. The mutualism that sustains numerous species has been destabilized and could lead to massive extinctions. For the plants and animals and the myriad species that inhabit the rainforests of Southeast Asia it may be too late and there is no "forest refugia" left from which to replenish their species. Fragmentation of habitats will cause more interaction of animals with humans, and many animals will be killed or captured for the pet trade. Huge numbers of species will become extinct before their role in the rainforest will have become known, and the rainforest ecosystem of Southeast Asia will collapse.

E. Benders-Hyde 2002
Bibliography:
"Rainforests", http://passporttoknowledge.com/rainforest/GEOsystem/Maps/se_asia.html, (3/18/02).

"[Biome - Living Worlds] :: Rainforest :: Plants", http://library.thinkquest.org/C0113340/text/biomes/biomes.rainforest.plants.html, (3/18/02).

"[Biome - Living Worlds] :: Rainforest", http://library.thinkquest.org/C0113340/text/biomes/biomes.rainforest.animals.html, (3/18/02).

[Biome - Living Worlds] :: Impact :: Rainforest :: Social Impact", http://library.thinkquest.org/C0113340/text/impact/impact.rainforest.html, (3/18/02).

[Biome - Living Worlds] :: Rainforest :: Climate", http://library.thinkquest.org/C0113340/text/biomes/biomes.rainforest.climate.html, (3/18/02).

"Rainforest Plants", http://www.zoorainforst.co.nz/plantsprint.html, (3/18/02).

"Earth Floor: Biomes", http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/rforest.html, (2/8/02).

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The Southeast Asian rainforests are the oldest, consistent rainforests on Earth, dating back to the Pleistocene Epoch 70 million years ago. It has a biological richness and diversity unequaled by that of the Amazon or African rainforests. Yet Southeast Asia is losing its rainforests faster than any equatorial region, and has the fewest remaining primary rainforests.

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The tropical rain forest is a forest of tall trees in a region of year-round warmth. An average of 50 to 260 inches (125 to 660 cm.) of rain falls yearly.

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Tree and Plant Life in the Jungle | David Attenborough | BBC Studios

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Every year an area of rainforest the size of New Jersey is cut down and destroyed. The plants and animals that used to live in these forests either die or must find a new forest to call their home. Why are rainforests being destroyed?

Humans are the main cause of rainforest destruction. We are cutting down rainforests for many reasons, including:

wood for both timber and making fires;

agriculture for both small and large farms;

land for poor farmers who don't have anywhere else to live;

grazing land for cattle;

pulp for making paper;

road construction; and

extraction of minerals and energy.

Rainforests are also threatened by climate change, which is contributing to droughts in parts of the Amazon and Southeast Asia. Drought causes die-offs of trees and dries out leaf litter, increasing the risk of forest fires, which are often set by land developers, ranchers, plantation owners, speculators, and loggers.

In 2005, 2010, and 2015 the Amazon experienced the worst droughts ever recorded. Rivers dried up, isolating communities, and millions of acres burned. The smoke caused widespread health problems, interfered with transportation, and blocked the formation of rain clouds, while the burning contributed huge amounts of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, worsening the effects of climate change.

Meanwhile, Indonesia has experienced several severe droughts in recent decades. The worst occurred in 1982-1983, 1997-1998, and 2015 when millions of acres of forest burned.

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Every year an area of rainforest the size of New Jersey is cut down and destroyed. The plants and animals that used to live in these forests either die or must find a new forest to call their home. Why are rainforests being destroyed? Humans are the main cause of rainforest destruction.

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Amazing Symbiosis: Ant Army Defends Tree | National Geographic

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Mutualism:
Leaf cutter ants and fungus are an example of this relationship. The ants protect the fungi from pests and mold and also feed it with small pieces of leaves. The ants keep their larvae in the fungi which protects it and feeds it.

Parasitism:
The strangler fig starts out life growing on a branch of a tree. It grows both downwards towards the ground and upwards to the sky, while also winding around the tree. The strangler fig kills the tree by stealing sunlight and root space after enveloping it.

Commensalism:
Bromeliads, to get enough light, grow on high branches of trees. This does not do any damage to the tree itself, but it allows the brmeliad to survive.

Competition:
In the dense tropical rainforests, there is fierce competition for sunlight. The taller, older trees that have established a spot in the forest shadow the ground. Due to that, new trees and other plants on the forest floor can't grow.

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Symbiotic Relationships in the Tropical Rainforest

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Mutualism: Leaf cutter ants and fungus are an example of this relationship. The ants protect the fungi from pests and mold and also feed it...

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Primary producers, also called autotrophs, make up the foundation of the food chain of any ecosystem, including the tropical rain forest, because they produce their own food through photosynthesis and provide energy to other levels of the food chain. Photosynthesis occurs through a process involving sunlight, carbon dioxide and water. The tropical rain forest hosts more than 50 percent all the animal and plant species in the world. Some forest producers in this area include trees, algae and rattan.
Read about the role of producers in ecosystems.

By definition, a producer is an organism that is able to make its own food without having to consume other organisms for nutrients and energy. This is most often done through photosynthesis, which uses sunlight, carbon dioxide and other chemicals/enzymes to create glucose.

Some producers are able to use chemosynthesis, which is a rarer process that doesn't require sunlight or chloroplasts. These types of producers often use methane or hydrogen sulfide combined with oxygen in order to create usable energy.

Trees in the tropical rain forest make up a large population of primary producers. These trees include cecropia trees, strangler figs and ceiba trees. Cecropia trees are extremely common tropical rain forest trees that grow at an incredibly fast speed. They produce long fruits that transfer seeds through animal digestive tracts that end up at their newly fertilized growing area farther away from their parent tree than water or wind could have carried them.

Strangler figs are found around the world across the equatorial zone. They attach their roots to a host tree and grow around and inside the host in order to acquire water and nutrients. Its name "strangler" is fitting, because by clinging onto its host it eventually kills it. There are 10 different species of the ceiba tree and they are usually the tallest trees in a tropical rain forest, extending above the upper canopy.

They have huge roots that are often exposed above ground. The most common species of ceiba tree is the kapok, which produces green seed pods packed with yellow fluff and hundreds of seeds.

Algae are the ancestors of all land plants of today. Simple cellular plants, they have no stems, roots or flowers. They are commonly found on the surfaces of bodies of water, though they are also found in tropical rain forests, particularly blue-green algae, because these environments are so moist and rich in nutrients. Small algae tend to grow as parasites below the cuticle of leaves on rain forest trees.
Read more about the ecological importance of algae.

Rattan is a woody vine that grows up from the forest floor, using trees as support to reach the rain forest canopy to reach sunlight. Spines on their leaves help them climb up the trees. These vines can grow as high as 600 feet and be as wide as 1.5 inches.

Rattan is used to make ropes, baskets and water-resistant wood furniture. In addition to growing in the wild in tropical rain forests, it is also grown in commercial farms for manufacturing purposes.

Detritivores are also at the base of the food pyramid, making it confusing as to the difference between producers and detritivores. Detritivores include examples of decomposers like fungi, viruses and bacteria. They feed on dead plants, insects, and animals, in effect breaking them down and helping them decay into simpler forms so they can be recycled in the energy cycle.

For example, a dead insect will be broken down by detritivores and incorporated into the soil that gives rise to the growth of a flower, which is a producer. Detritivores are thus an important link in the energy pyramid and play an important role by cleaning up the ecosystem.

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What Are Three Types of Producers Found in the Tropical Rain Forest?

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Primary producers, also called autotrophs, make up the foundation of the food chain of any ecosystem because they produce their own food through photosynthesis and provide energy to other levels of the food chain. Some forest producers in this area include trees, algae and rattan.

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Primary producers, also called autotrophs, make up the foundation of the food chain of any ecosystem, including the tropical rain forest, because they produce their own food through photosynthesis and provide energy to other levels of the food chain. Photosynthesis occurs through a process involving sunlight, carbon dioxide and water. The tropical rain forest hosts more than 50 percent all the animal and plant species in the world. Some forest producers in this area include trees, algae and rattan.
Read about the role of producers in ecosystems.

By definition, a producer is an organism that is able to make its own food without having to consume other organisms for nutrients and energy. This is most often done through photosynthesis, which uses sunlight, carbon dioxide and other chemicals/enzymes to create glucose.

Some producers are able to use chemosynthesis, which is a rarer process that doesn't require sunlight or chloroplasts. These types of producers often use methane or hydrogen sulfide combined with oxygen in order to create usable energy.

Trees in the tropical rain forest make up a large population of primary producers. These trees include cecropia trees, strangler figs and ceiba trees. Cecropia trees are extremely common tropical rain forest trees that grow at an incredibly fast speed. They produce long fruits that transfer seeds through animal digestive tracts that end up at their newly fertilized growing area farther away from their parent tree than water or wind could have carried them.

Strangler figs are found around the world across the equatorial zone. They attach their roots to a host tree and grow around and inside the host in order to acquire water and nutrients. Its name "strangler" is fitting, because by clinging onto its host it eventually kills it. There are 10 different species of the ceiba tree and they are usually the tallest trees in a tropical rain forest, extending above the upper canopy.

They have huge roots that are often exposed above ground. The most common species of ceiba tree is the kapok, which produces green seed pods packed with yellow fluff and hundreds of seeds.

Algae are the ancestors of all land plants of today. Simple cellular plants, they have no stems, roots or flowers. They are commonly found on the surfaces of bodies of water, though they are also found in tropical rain forests, particularly blue-green algae, because these environments are so moist and rich in nutrients. Small algae tend to grow as parasites below the cuticle of leaves on rain forest trees.
Read more about the ecological importance of algae.

Rattan is a woody vine that grows up from the forest floor, using trees as support to reach the rain forest canopy to reach sunlight. Spines on their leaves help them climb up the trees. These vines can grow as high as 600 feet and be as wide as 1.5 inches.

Rattan is used to make ropes, baskets and water-resistant wood furniture. In addition to growing in the wild in tropical rain forests, it is also grown in commercial farms for manufacturing purposes.

Detritivores are also at the base of the food pyramid, making it confusing as to the difference between producers and detritivores. Detritivores include examples of decomposers like fungi, viruses and bacteria. They feed on dead plants, insects, and animals, in effect breaking them down and helping them decay into simpler forms so they can be recycled in the energy cycle.

For example, a dead insect will be broken down by detritivores and incorporated into the soil that gives rise to the growth of a flower, which is a producer. Detritivores are thus an important link in the energy pyramid and play an important role by cleaning up the ecosystem.

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What Are Three Types of Producers Found in the Tropical Rain Forest?

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Primary producers, also called autotrophs, make up the foundation of the food chain of any ecosystem because they produce their own food through photosynthesis and provide energy to other levels of the food chain. Some forest producers in this area include trees, algae and rattan.

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Tropical rain forests are the stage for many of the world’s most complex and interesting plant and animal interactions. These interactions play important roles in plant defenses, pollination and seed dispersal. Following are just a few examples.

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The Queen of Trees ~ Fig Trees: From the Sacred to the Strangler | Nature | PBS

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Figs come in all shapes and sizes. Some are trees, while others are bushes or vines. Most are found in the tropics, although a few can grow in temperate climates. Perhaps the most familiar to most people is the common fig (Ficus carica). Native to Asia and the Middle East but widely replanted elsewh…

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People often marvel at the radiant beauty of deciduous trees that glow with vibrant fall colors. Deciduous forests in temperate climates consist of maples, elms oaks, and other trees that lose their leaves when seasons change. Temperate climates have cold winters, hot summers and average temperatures of 10 Celsius (50 Fahrenheit). These forests can feel the impact of natural forces and human activity that influence the environment in negative ways.

The Cost of Acquiring Lumber

If you cut down trees for a living, you may create conditions that have mild to devastating effects on life in an ecosystem. As NASA reports, "In addition to the species lost when an area is totally deforested, the plants and animals in the fragments of forest that remain also become increasingly vulnerable, sometimes even committed, to extinction." The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Western Ecology Division in Corvallis Oregon reports that slowing deforestation can also help sequester or conserve large amounts of carbon that can lead to environmental warming.

Fire and Pathogen Threats

Parasites and pathogens can have large scale effects on life forms of all types including deciduous forests. For example, the EPA reports that a chestnut blight once "completely restructured North American temperate deciduous forests." Pathogens may also cause the loss of some or all members in a native species. Wildlife recreation and other human activities near forests may lead to fire which could cause pathogen levels in forests to increase.

Climate Change Changes Things

Thirty three percent of the country's land consists of forests. Climate change affects the growth of those forests and can impact their productivity. Warming from higher atmospheric carbon dioxide levels can make growing seasons longer and cause some areas to experience more droughts. Warmer weather may also change the rate at which insect infestations, and cause destructive storms occur. While some forests may recover from these types of problems others may not. Wild fires resulting from warmer weather are also a threat, especially during drought.

Deciduous Forest Facts

In addition to deforestation and overgrazing, agricultural practices have deciduous forests exist around the world. They were also some of the first forests that people converted to agricultural use. Broad leaves on trees in temperate deciduous forests help provide shade for shrubs and other plants on the ground. While a wide variety of animals and birds found homes in these forests, their populations dwindle as humans continue to remove the trees and use the land for other purposes.

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Environmental Problems in Temperate Deciduous Forests

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Environmental Problems in Temperate Deciduous Forests. People often marvel at the radiant beauty of deciduous trees that glow with vibrant fall colors. Deciduous forests in temperate climates consist of maples, elms oaks, and other trees that lose their leaves when seasons change. Temperate climates have cold ...

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Location | Weather | Plants | Animals | People | Games | Links

LOCATION: Most temperate, deciduous (leaf-shedding) forests are located in the eastern United States, Canada, Europe, China, Japan, and parts of Russia. Deciduous forests are broken up into five zones. The firstzone is the tree stratum zone. It is the tallest zone and trees here range from 60 to 100 feet (18 to 30 meters) tall. Maple, elm, and oak trees are just some examples of trees found in this zone. The second zone is the small tree and sapling zone. Younger, shorter trees characterize this zone. The shrub zone is the third zone. Shrubs include mountain laurel, huckleberries, and many others. The fourth zone is the herb zone, and contains short herbal plants, like ferns. The Ground zone is the final zone where plants grow directly near the ground. Some plants that grow here are lichens and mosses.

WEATHER: This biome has four changing seasons including winter, spring, summer, and fall. These seasons happen because of the tilt of the Earth's axis. Throughout the year, rays from the sun hit different parts of the world more directly than others, causing varying temperatures, or seasons. If the Earth were not tilted on an axis, temperatures around the globe would always be the same. Temperate deciduous forests also have quite a wet environment. Following rainforests, temperate deciduous forests are the second-rainiest biome. The average yearly precipitation is 30 - 60 inches (75 - 150 cm). This precipitation falls throughout the year, but in the winter it falls as snow. The average temperature in temperate deciduous forests is 50°F (10°C). Summers are mild, and average about 70°F (21°C), while winter temperatures are often well below freezing.

PLANTS: Trees and plants in deciduous forests have special adaptations to survive in this biome. Deciduous trees are trees with leaves rather than pine needles, and they dominate temperate forests. As the seasons change each year, so do the leaves. Each year deciduous trees lose their leaves, and grow them back. In the summer their broad green leaves capture sunlight and help the trees make food through photosynthesis. As temperatures cool in the fall, the chlorophyll (green pigment in leaves) breaks down, causing the beautiful red, yellow and orange leaf colors of fall. In the cold winter, deciduous trees and plants go into dormancy, kind of like sleep. It is too cold for them to protect their leaves from the damage of freezing in the winter, so they simply lse them and seal up the places where the leaves attach to the branch. The warmer spring days signal to the trees that they can grow new leaves again, and restart the cycle.

ANIMALS: Animals in temperate deciduous forests have to adapt to changing seasons. They must be able to cope with cold winters and hot summers. Some animals hibernate or migrate during the winter to escape the cold. Animals who do not hibernate or migrate must have special adaptations to deal with higher exposure to predators in the winter. When leaves fall, there is less cover for animals in this biome to hide from predators.

The black bear is an animal that is well adapted for the temperate deciduous forest biome. It has a heavy coat made of many layers of fur to deal with the winter cold. Black bears have long claws that help them to climb trees.This is an essential adaptation because black bears often live in hollowed trees. Black bears are omnivores, so they eat plants and animals. Most of their diet is composed of plant material, so their long claws are useful to get their food from trees and shrubs. They also hibernate to avoid having to find food in the snowy, frozen winter.

PEOPLE AND THE TEMPERATE DECIDUOUS FOREST: Temperate forests are very important to people as they provide enjoyment as well as many resources including food, timber, and oxygen for us to breathe. However, we are also the cause of some major threats to this biome, one of which is acid rain. Acid rain caused by industrial and vehicle emissions damages the leaves of trees, and causes them to produce smaller and fewer seeds. It also reduces the trees' resistance to disease, pests, and frost. Clear cutting of forests is also a threat to this biome. Trees are cut for timber and land cleared for agriculture. Another problem associated with deciduous forests is the introduction of non-native plant and animal species because it upsets the balance of the forest ecosystem. Non-natives may compete for food and habitat space, possibly threatening the native species.

Although these threats may be worrisome, there are many things that you can do to help protect this unique biome. First of all, you can recycle. Trees are used to make the paper for paper bags, newspapers, printer paper, and many more products we use each day. If you recycle used paper, and make the effort to buy recycled paper, you will be reducing the need to cut down more trees. Also be sure to use both sides of the paper that you write on before you recycle it. Use cloth products instead of paper products, like napkins, towels, plates, and cups. These products can be washed and used again, which helps to save trees. Drive less, and carpool when possible. Car exhaust is one of the main contributors to acid rain. Walk or ride your bike to help keep our environment clean. If you are buying furniture, lumber, or any other wood product, look for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) label. This label indicates that the trees were grown in a well-managed forest. Learn more about forests. By reading, searching the Internet, and visiting temperate deciduous forests, you can learn lots of cool things about this biome. You can also teach other people about what you have learned. If we want to continue to enjoy temperate deciduous forests, the products that come from them, and protect the unique habitats within them, we must be sure to do our best to take care of this important biome.
GAMES: LINKS: Geography for Kids: Deciduous Forest Blue Planet Biomes: Deciduous Forest Temperate Deciduous Forest Ecokids Forests Shades of Green: Earth's Forests
Back to Biomes Index

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Location | Weather | Plants | Animals | People | Games | Links LOCATION: Most temperate, deciduous (leaf-shedding) forests are located in the eastern United States, Canada, Europe, China, Japan, and parts of Russia. Deciduous forests are broken up into five zones.The firstzone is the tree stratum zone.

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:::: What's It Like Where You Live? ::::

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10,000 years ago, plants covered about 1/2 the earth's surface. Now they only cover less that 1/3. Many forests that have disappeared have regrown, but some are now lost forever. What happened to all...

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The Temperate Deciduous Forest biome has four seasons of winter, spring, summer and fall. Animals and plants have special adaptations to cope with these yearly changes.

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© Jakob Radlgruber - Fotolia.com

Some of the widest range of climates are found in the temperate forests of the world. Temperate forests can be either deciduous or evergreen. Deciduous forests contain primarily trees which lose their leaves in the winter. In the past there were more deciduous forests, but many of these forests were cleared to make land for growing crops.

Temperate Forest

Temperate forests are the home to a large amount of wildlife, but they do not have as many different animal species as tropical forests.
More temperate forest information

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© Jakob Radlgruber - Fotolia.com Some of the widest range of climates are found in the temperate forests of the world. Temperate forests can be either deciduous or evergreen. Deciduous forests contain primarily trees which lose their leaves in the winter.

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Forest Animals for Kids - Children Learn Temperate Forest Animal Sounds & Animals of the Forest

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Location | Weather | Plants | Animals | People | Links

LOCATION: What do you think of when you hear the word "alpine"? Perhaps mountains or skiing? Well, you are right. Alpine biomes are found in mountain regions worldwide, including the Andes, Alps, and Rocky Mountains. The alpine biome usually lies between an altitude of about 10,000 feet (3,000 meters), and the place where the snow line of a mountain begins. Combined, the Alpine and Arctic biomes cover 16% of the earth's surface area.

WEATHER: In the summer average temperatures range from 40 to 60°F (4.5 to 15.5&degC). In the winter the temperatures are well below freezing. Generally, as the altitude increases, the temperature gets colder. Temperatures in the alpine biome are dynamic and can also change from warm to freezing in one day. The winter season lasts from around October to May. The summer season may last from June to September. The alpine biome is fairly dry with an average precipitation of 12 inches (30 cm) each year.

PLANTS: The alpine biome is a tough place for plants to live. It's windy, cold, and the sunlight at these high altitudes is very strong. There are only about 200 species of alpine plants. At the high altitudes where these plants live, there is very little carbon dioxide, which is necessary for plants to carry on photosynthesis. Because of the blustery weather, most plants are small groundcover plants, which grow and reproduce slowly. They protect themselves from the cold and wind by hugging close to the ground. When plants die the cold weather makes it hard for them to decompose quickly. This makes for poor soil conditions. Most alpine plants are adapted to grow in sandy and rocky soil. Plants have also adapted to the dry conditions of the alpine biome. Some of the plants found here are tussock grasses, small-leafed shrubs, and dwarf trees. The bristlecone pine is an amazing plant of the alpine biome. It lives in scattered, arid mountain regions of six western states of America ranging from Colorado to California. Many are found in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in the White Mountains of California. These trees only grow to about 60 feet (18 meters). That may seem tall, but for its age 60 feet (18 meters) is short! Bristlecone pines can live to be over 4,000 years old. That is almost as old as the Great Sphinx of Ancient Egypt!

ANIMALS: Can you imagine living in a cold, windy place without much shelter? Animals that live in the alpine biome must have special adaptations to survive the cold, snowy conditions. They also have to deal with high UV light exposure from the sun and thin atmosphere. Mostly warm-blooded animals live here, but a few types of insects also make the alpine biome home. Alpine animals adapt to the cold by hibernating, migrating to warmer areas, or insulating their bodies with layers of fat and fur. Their bodies tend to have shorter legs, tails, and ears, in order to reduce heat loss. Alpine animals also have larger lungs, more blood cells, and blood that can deal with the lower levels of oxygen at higher altitudes. Some animals in the alpine biome are mountain goats, sheep, elk, beetles, grasshoppers and butterflies. Which of these animals do you think leaves the alpine biome in the winter?

One interesting alpine animal is the chinchilla. Maybe you've seen one of these small, gray, furry creatures in a nature center or zoo. In the wild, chinchillas live in the Andes alpine regions, but they are not easily found. Chinchillas are herbivores. Their diet in the wild consists of plants, roots, and grasses. As altitude increases, the temperature decreases, so in these regions the chinchilla has even denser fur. Chinchillas used to be hunted for their soft, beautiful fur. People used their pelts to make coats until they became nearly extinct in the 1940s. It takes over 100 pelts to make one chinchilla coat! Now they are on the endangered species list, and protected by law from hunting and people. The snowshoe rabbit and ptarmigan bird are also alpine animals. They are adapted to be less visible when snow covers the ground through camouflage. The showshoe rabbit has brown fur in the summer, but in the winter it turns white. What do you think the ptarmigan does to camouflage? It's like the snowshoe hare! In the summer the ptarmigan has brown feathers and in the winter its feathers are white to hide in the snowy environment.

PEOPLE AND THE ALPINE BIOME: You've probably heard of mount Everest and the Sherpas who help people climb it. The Sherpas are naturally born mountaineers! They live in the Himalayas and are the world's highest living population. They are physically adapted to live in the alpine biome. Sherpas have larger lungs and more hemoglobin in their blood to cope with the increased pressure and lack of oxygen at high altitudes. The Indians of the Andes Mountains in South America have also adapted to living in the alpine biome.
LINKS: Blue Planet Biomes: Alpine GF Awesome: Subalpine Ecosystems
Back to Biomes Index

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Location | Weather | Plants | Animals | People | Links LOCATION: What do you think of when you hear the word "alpine"? Perhaps mountains or skiing? Well, you are right. Alpine biomes are found in mountain regions worldwide, including the Andes, Alps, and Rocky Mountains.

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Cold, snowy, windy. When you hear those words they make you think of mountains. The Alpine biome is like winter is to people in New England; snow, high winds, ice, all the typical winter things. In Latin the word for 'high mountain' is 'alpes'. That is where today's word alpine comes from.

Alpine biomes are found in the mountain regions all around the world. They are usually at an altitude of about 10,000 feet or more. The Alpine biome lies just below the snow line of a mountain. As you go up a mountain, you will travel through many biomes. In the North American Rocky Mountains you begin in a desert biome. As you climb you go through a deciduous forest biome, grassland biome, steppe biome, and taiga biome before you reach the cold Alpine biome.

In the summer average temperatures range from 10 to 15° C . In the winter the temperatures are below freezing. The winter season can last from October to May. The summer season may last from June to September. The temperatures in the Alpine biome can also change from warm to freezing in one day.

Because the severe climate of the Alpine biome, plants and animals have developed adaptations to those conditions. There are only about 200 species of Alpine plants. At high altitudes there is very little CO2, which plants need to carry on photosynthesis. Because of the cold and wind, most plants are small perennial groundcover plants which grow and reproduce slowly. They protect themselves from the cold and wind by hugging the ground. Taller plants or trees would soon get blown over and freeze. When plants die they don't decompose very quickly because of the cold. This makes for poor soil conditions. Most Alpine plants can grow in sandy and rocky soil. Plants have also adapted to the dry conditions of the Alpine biome. Plant books and catalogs warn you about over watering Alpine plants.

Alpine animals have to deal with two types of problems: the cold and too much high UV wavelengths. This is because there is less atmosphere to filter UV rays from the sun. There are only warm blooded animals in the Alpine biome, although there are insects. Alpine animals adapt to the cold by hibernating, migrating to lower, warmer areas, or insulating their bodies with layers of fat. Animals will also tend to have shorter legs, tails, and ears, in order to reduce heat loss. Alpine animals also have larger lungs, more blood cells and hemoglobin because of the increase of pressure and lack of oxygen at higher altitudes. This is also true for people who have lived on mountains for a long time, like the Indians of the Andes Mountains in South America and the Sherpas of the Himalayas in Asia.
Bibliography:
"Himalayas", http://encarta.msn.com/find/, (June 2000).

"General Ecology, EEOB 404", http://www.tulane.edu/~eeob/Courses/Ecology_Materials/arctic_alpine_99f.html, (June 2000).

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Cold, snowy, windy. When you hear those words they make you think of mountains. The Alpine biome is like winter is to people in New England; snow, high winds, ice, all the typical winter things. In Latin the word for 'high mountain' is 'alpes'. That is where today's word alpine comes from.

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Alpine biome conditions are found in the great mountain ranges of the world. Some global mountain ranges that are parts of the alpine biome include the Rockies, Sierra, and Cascade mountains in North...

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The tallest life-zone, the alpine tundra can be found at any latitude on earth. yet, the elevation that the alpine tundra begins is different depending on where you are.

For instance, on the tall Mexican Volcanos, the tree-line is much higher than anywhere in the United states. It occurs around 13,000 feet.

In Colorado, the Tundra begins around 11,500 feet. Farther north, in Alaska, the Tundra can form at only a few thousand feet elevation!
Micro-habitats in the Alpine Tundra
The alpine tundra is not a homogenous zone where plants have equal opportunity to grow. Small changes in elevation in this zone and patches of snow and rock create microhabitats where different species of plant and animal can specialize. For instance, a small depression on the ground might decrease sun and wind intensity causing snow to accumulate. Snowbanks are hard places for plants to grow because areas where snow builds up decreases the already short growing season. Thus, small elevation changes that increase light intensity may be just enough for small plants to make a living.

Some of the major micro-habitats found in the Alpine tundra are Meadows, snow beds, talus fields, and fell-fields. You can imagine that plants growing in one habitat are going will need different adaptations to grow in others.
Animal Adaptations
Very few animals are found in this habitat year round. Some of the few that do make their home here year-round are yellow-bellied marmots, pikas, and ptarmagins. Each has unique adaptations to allow them to live here.

Yellow bellied marmots that live in Colorado will hibernate for as many as 8 months out of the year.

Yellow bellied marmots (hibernate for 8 months of the year). Pikas don't hibernate. They hide from the weather under rocks in the boulder fields. They store food in haypiles and munch them until real food is available. Pikas are related to rabbits and hares, not rodents.
Plant Adaptations:

Dark colors on alpine plants absorb more heat:

Anthocyanins: pigments that create red or blue - they convert light into heat.

Plants are often slow growing. This makes them vulnerable to human impacts.

Most plants are long-lived perennial plants. They don't grow stems, leaves, flowers and fruite each season.

Plants are matted against the earth, this keeps them away from the harmfull wind.

Some plants have hairs, which allow them to trap heat and diffuse the harmfull solar radiation.

Some plants are succulents, storing water in their leaves (waxy leaves that prevent dessication).

Tundra is derived from the Lappish language and means "land of no trees".

Notable animals in the alpine tundra include, Kea parrots, marmots, Mountain goats, and pika.

Alpine tundra does not map directly to specific WWF ecoregions. Portions of Montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregions include alpine tundra. The alpine tundra also has elks,marmots, mountain goats, pikas, and sheep

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The tallest life-zone, the alpine tundra can be found at any latitude on earth. yet, the elevation that the alpine tundra begins is different depending on where you are. For instance, on the tall Mexican Volcanos, the tree-line is much higher than anywhere in the United states. It occurs around 13,000 feet.

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Alpine biomes are found on the great mountain ranges around the world including the Andes, Alps and Rocky Mountains. Alpine biomes are usually at an altitude of around 10,000 feet high or more and lie just below the snow lines of mountains. The general climate of an Alpine biome is very cold, icy, snowy and windy.

During the summertime, temperatures in Alpine biomes reach around 40 to 60 degrees fahrenheit, however, come winter, temperatures are well below freezing and as the altitude increases, it can get much colder.

Alpine temperatures are dynamic and can change from warm to cold in one day. Winter seasons last from October to May and summer from June to September. The average rainfall on an Alpine biome is around 12 inches per year. The Latin word for 'Alpine' is 'Alps' meaning 'high mountain', this is where the word comes from. Alpine and Arctic biomes cover around 16% of the earth's surface.

Animals that live in the Alpine Biome

Animals that live in the Alpine regions have to adapt to two different problems. Firstly, the very cold temperature and secondly ultraviolet wavelengths from the sun. Because the Alpine biome is very high, there is less atmosphere to filter the sun's UV rays. Alpine animals hibernate and migrate to warmer areas of the mountains when temperatures become extremely cold. Some animals insulate their bodies with extra layers of fat and fur. There are only warm blooded animals in the Alpine biome and some species of insects.

Alpine animals are naturally aided to adapt to Alpine climates by having shorter limbs such as legs, ears and tails. This helps to reduce heat loss. Alpine animals also have larger lung capacities, more blood cells and haemoglobin because of the increase of pressure and lack of oxygen at higher altitudes.

Despite the challenging landscape and harsh climate, here is a list of animals and birds that live in the Alpine Biome. These animals and birds are featured in our World Wildlife section.

Other animals living high in the mountains are: alpine versions of geckos and skunks, spiders, dragonflies, cockroaches, wētā, grasshoppers, cicadas, flies, moths, flatworms and giant snail.

Terrestrial Biomes:

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Alpine Biomes | Facts, Information & Pictures of Alpine Biomes

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Alpine biomes are found on the great mountain ranges around the world including the Andes, Alps and Rocky Mountains. Alpine biomes are usually at an altitude of around 10,000 feet high or more and lie just below the snow lines of mountains. The general climate of an Alpine biome is very cold, icy, snowy and windy.