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Science for Kids: Temperate Forest Biome

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Kids learn about the temperate forest biome. Four distinct seasons and lots of trees.

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Science for Kids: Savanna Grasslands Biome

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Kids learn about the savanna grasslands biome. This tropical ecosystem is full of large herbivores like zebras, giraffes, and wildebeests.

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Did you know that the Arctic Tundra is the world's youngest biome? It was formed 10,000 years ago. Located at latitudes 55° to 70° North, the tundra is a vast and treeless land which covers about 20% of the Earth's surface, circumnavigating the North pole. It is usually very cold, and the land is pretty stark. Almost all tundras are located in the Northern Hemisphere. Small tundra-like areas do exist in Antarctica in the Southern Hemisphere, but because it is much colder than the Arctic, the ground is always covered with snow and ice. Conditions are not right for a true tundra to form. Average annual temperatures are -70°F (-56°C).

Tundra comes from the Finnish word "tunturia", which means a barren land. The ground is permanently frozen 10 inches to 3 feet (25 to 100 cm) down so that trees can't grow there. The bare and sometimes rocky ground can only support low growing plants like mosses, heaths, and lichen. In the winter it is cold and dark and in the summer, when the snow and the top layer of permafrost melt, it is very soggy and the tundra is covered with marshes, lakes, bogs and streams that breed thousands of insects and attract many migrating birds.

The main seasons are winter and summer. Spring and fall are only short periods between winter and summer. The tundra is the world's coldest and driest biomes. The average annual temperature is -18° F (-28° C). Nights can last for weeks when the sun barely rises during some months in the winter, and the temperature can drop to -94° F (-70° C). During the summer the sun shines almost 24 hours a day, which is why the Arctic is also called the Land of the Midnight Sun. Summer are usually warm. Temperatures can get up to 54° F (12° C), but it can get as cold as 37° F (3° C). Average summer temperatures range from 37° to 60°F (3° to 16°C).

The Arctic tundra is also a windy place and winds can blow between 30 to 60 miles (48 to 97 kilometers) per hour. Of the North American, Scandinavian and Russian tundras, the Scandinavian tundra is the warmest, with winter temperatures averaging 18°F (-8°C)

The tundra is basically like a desert when it comes to precipitation. Only about 6 - 10 inches of precipitation (mostly snow) fall each year. Below the soil is the tundra's permafrost, a permanently frozen layer of earth. During the short summers the top layer of soil may thaw just long enough to let plants grow and reproduce. Since it can't sink into the ground, water from melting permafrost and snow forms lakes and marshes each summer.

There is barely any vegetation in the tundra, only about 1,700 different species, which isn't very much. These are mostly shrubs, sedges, mosses, lichens and grasses. There are about 400 varieties of flowers. The growing season is only about 50 to 60 days long. There are no trees, except for some birches in the lower latitudes. The ground is always frozen beneath the top layer of soil, so trees can't send their roots down. Willows do grow on some parts of the tundra but only as low carpets about 3 inches (8 cm) high. Most plants grow in a dense mat of roots which has developed over thousands of years. The soil is very low in nutrients and minerals, except where animal droppings fertilize the soil.

Surprisingly there are animals in the tundra. Although there isn't a lot of biodiversity, only 48 species of land mammals are found on the tundra, there are a lot of each species. These consist of slightly modified shrews, hares, rodents, wolves, foxes, bears and deer. There are huge herds of caribou in North America (known as reindeer in Eurasia) which feed on lichens and plants. There are also smaller herds of musk-oxen. Wolves, wolverines, arctic foxes, and polar bears are the predators of the tundra. Smaller mammals are snowshoe rabbits and lemmings. There aren't many different species of insects in the tundra, but black flies, deer flies, mosquitoes and "no-see-ums" (tiny biting midges) can make the tundra a miserable place to be in the summer. Mosquitoes can keep themselves from freezing by replacing the water in their bodies with a chemical called glycerol. It works like an antifreeze and allows them to survive under the snow during the winter. The marshy tundra is a great place for migratory birds like the harlequin duck, sandpipers and plovers.

The tundra is one of Earth's three major carbon dioxide sinks. A carbon dioxide sink is a biomass which takes in more carbon dioxide than it releases. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. During the short summer tundra's plants take in carbon dioxide, sunlight and water in the process of photosynthesis. Plants normally give off carbon dioxide after they die and decompose. But because of the short, cool summer and freezing winter temperatures, plants can't decompose. Remains of plants thousands of years old have been found in the tundra permafrost. In this way the tundra traps the carbon dioxide and removes it from the atmosphere. Today global warming is melting the permafrost of the tundra and every year several feet of tundra are lost. As the tundra melts, the plant mass decomposes and returns carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

The tundra is a very fragile environment. The extremely cold temperatures makes it a difficult environment to survive in during the winter, and plants and animals have a hard time coping with any extra stresses and disturbances. More people moving to the tundra to work in the mines and oil rigs have created towns and more roads. Some animal's movements to traditional feeding and denning grounds have been disrupted by these obstacles. When they try to pass through a town they are often scared away or shot. With their feeding patterns disrupted, many polar bears have starved. The Alaskan oil pipeline was built across a caribou migration route. In some places the pipeline has been raised above the ground so the caribou can pass under it. Pesticides have been used to control the hordes of insects. Thousands of migrating birds come to the tundra because of the abundant insects. Through the food chain the pesticides reach many of the animals that live on the tundra.

Pollution from mining and drilling for oil has polluted the air, lakes and rivers. The land around some nickel mines in Russia has become so polluted that the plants in the surrounding area have died. Footprints and tire tracks can be visible for many years after they were made. When the sun hits the ruts it causes the permafrost to melt. This causes erosion and the ruts get bigger, and eventually the ruts turn into gullies. Tracks made during WW II have grown so large that some of them are now lakes.

The tundra is not a cold and useless wasteland. It is a very fragile environment and the plants and animals that have made their home on the tundra biome have made some incredible adaptations to the long, cold winters and the short but abundant summers. They live on a precarious edge and the smallest stresses can bring about their destruction.

by Whitney S. 2002

Bibliography:

Kaplan, E. (1996). Biomes of the World: Tundra. Hong Kong: Marshall Cavendish Corporation.

"Encyclopedia.com - Results for tundra", http://www.encyclopedia.com/articles/13116.html, (June 2000)

"The World's Biomes: Tundra", http://www.latymer-upper.org/geog/sixth/tundra%20the%20not%20do%20barren%20land.htm, (July 2000).

Photo Credit: "Interface", http://www.nsbsd.k12.ak.us/PROJECTS/arctic_year/anaktuvuk/interface.htm, (July 2000).
*Check out this website for great info on life on the tundra and the people who live there!

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Did you know that the Arctic Tundra is the world's youngest biome? It was formed 10,000 years ago. Located at latitudes 55° to 70° North, the tundra is a vast and treeless land which covers about 20% of the Earth's surface, circumnavigating the North pole.

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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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Grassland biomes can be found in the middle latitudes, in the interiors of continents. They can have either moist continental climates or dry subtropical climates. In Argentina, South America, the grasslands are known as pampas. The climate there is humid and moist.

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Deciduous forests can be found in the eastern half of North America, and the middle of Europe. There are many deciduous forests in Asia. Some of the major areas that they are in are southwest Russia, Japan, and eastern China. South America has two big areas of deciduous forests in southern Chile and Middle East coast of Paraguay. There are deciduous forests located in New Zealand, and southeastern Australia also.

The average annual temperature in a deciduous forest is 50° F. The average rainfall is 30 to 60 inches a year.

In deciduous forests there are five different zones. The first zone is the Tree Stratum zone. The Tree Stratum zone contains such trees as oak, beech, maple, chestnut hickory, elm, basswood, linden, walnut, and sweet gum trees. This zone has height ranges between 60 feet and 100 feet.

The small tree and sapling zone is the second zone. This zone has young, and short trees. The third zone is called the shrub zone. Some of the shrubs in this zone are rhododendrons, azaleas, mountain laurel, and huckleberries. The Herb zone is the fourth zone. It contains short plants such as herbal plants. The final zone is the Ground zone. It contains lichen, club mosses, and true mosses.

The deciduous forest has four distinct seasons, spring, summer, autumn, and winter. In the autumn the leaves change color. During the winter months the trees lose their leaves.

The animals adapt to the climate by hibernating in the winter and living off the land in the other three seasons. The animals have adapted to the land by trying the plants in the forest to see if they are good to eat for a good supply of food. Also the trees provide shelter for them. Animal use the trees for food and a water sources. Most of the animals are camouflaged to look like the ground.

The plants have adapted to the forests by leaning toward the sun. Soaking up the nutrients in the ground is also a way of adaptation.

A lot of deciduous forests have lost land to farms and towns. Although people are trying to protect the forests some poachers are trying to kill the animals in the forests. The animals are losing their homes because of people building their homes.

by Connie T. 2001
Bibliography:
"All about nature: Biomes-Habits", http://www.zoomwhales.com/biomes/tempdecid/tempdecid.shtml, 11/21/00

"Temperate Deciduous Forest Biome", http://mbgnet.mobot.org/pfg/diverse/temp/index.htm, 11/4/00

"Temperature Deciduous Forest Biome", http://mbgnet.mobot.org/pfg/diverse/temp/locatns.htm, 11/5/00

"Temperature Deciduous Forest Biome", http://mbgnet.mobot.org/pfg/diverse/temp/whats.htm, 11/20/00

"World Biomes", http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/world_biomes.htm, 5/1/01"

The word "Deciduous" means "falling off or out at a certain season". That explains why deciduous forest means a forest in which the leaves fall off the trees when the winter comes.

The deciduous forests are located in the temperate zone above the tropical forests and below the coniferous forests. Most of Europe, the eastern half of North America, parts of Japan and Asia were once covered with large deciduous forests. Most of the deciduous forests have now disappeared but many of the trees still grow in deciduous forest biome. The types of trees you can find in these three regions are broad leafed deciduous trees and some of the evergreen species. The trees are more commonly known as ash, oak, lime, beech, birch and northern arrowwood. Also found in this biome are wild flowers such as oxlip, bluebells, painted trillium and primrose. As well as things such as carpet moss, tawny milk-cap mushrooms and lady fern.

The soil is very fertile. In fact, some of the great agricultural regions are found in this biome. That is one of the reasons there aren't a lot of original deciduous forests left in the world. Almost all of the forests in North America are second growth forests but it still has the biggest variety of original plant species. In Europe there are only a few species of original trees left. Most of the forests have been cleared for agriculture. China has been clearing the natural trees for at least 4,000 years and most of the forests are man-made.

There are many types of animals in the deciduous forest ranging from mammals like deer to bugs like mosquitoes. Many of the animals are either nut and acorn feeders, or omnivores. Many of the animals have adapted to forest life. Some of them hibernate during the winter months.

A few common animals found in the deciduous forest are, deer, gray squirrels, mice raccoons, salamanders, snakes, robins, frogs and many types of insects. Some animals migrate south when winter comes.

Most deciduous forests are found in Eastern North America somewhere around 35-48° N, and Europe and Asia around 45-60° N. There are some deciduous regions in the southern hemisphere but their plants and animals are different from those of the northern deciduous forests.

The average temperature is around 50° F (about 10° C). The average rainfall is 30-60 inches (75-150 cm ) per year. You can find all four seasons: winter (cold and frosty), summer (hot and humid), fall (cool and breezy), and spring (warm and breezy). There is about a 6 month growing season.

2000
Bibliography:
"Deciduous Forest". World Book Encyclopedia. 1994 ed.

"Deciduous", Websters New World Dectionary, 1994 ed.

"Temperate Deciduous Forest", http://www.coff.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/clymo5.html (June 4, 2000).

"Mid-Latitude Deciduous Forest", http://wbgnet.mobot/sets/temp/index.htm (June 4, 2000).

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Deciduous forests can be found in the eastern half of North America, and the middle of Europe. There are many deciduous forests in Asia. Some of the major areas that they are in are southwest Russia, Japan, and eastern China. South America has two big areas of deciduous forests in southern Chile and Middle East coast of Paraguay.

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In this report you will learn about Hot and Dry Deserts and Cold Deserts. I hope you enjoy!

A Hot and Dry Desert is, as you can tell from the name, hot and dry. Most Hot and Dry Deserts don't have very many plants. They do have some low down plants though. The only animals they have that can survive have the ability to burrow under ground. This is because they would not be able to live in the hot sun and heat. They only come out in the night when it is a little cooler.

A cold desert is a desert that has snow in the winter instead of just dropping a few degrees in temperature like they would in a Hot and Dry Desert. It never gets warm enough for plants to grow. Just maybe a few grasses and mosses. The animals in Cold Deserts also have to burrow but in this case to keep warm, not cool. That is why you might find some of the same animals here as you would in the Hot and Dry Deserts.

Deserts cover about one fifth of the Earth's land surface. Most Hot and Dry Deserts are near the Tropic of Cancer or the Tropic of Capricorn. Cold Deserts are near the Arctic part of the world.

Hot and Dry Deserts temperature ranges from 20 to 25° C. The extreme maximum temperature for Hot Desert ranges from 43.5 to 49° C. Cold Deserts temperature in winter ranges from -2 to 4° C and in the summer 21 to 26° C a year

The precipitation in Hot and Dry Deserts and the precipitation in Cold Deserts is different. Hot and Dry Deserts usually have very little rainfall and/or concentrated rainfall in short periods between long rainless periods. This averages out to under 15 cm a year. Cold Deserts usually have lots of snow. They also have rain around spring. This averages out to 15 - 26 cm a year.

Hot and Dry Deserts are warm throughout the fall and spring seasons and very hot during the summer. the winters usually have very little if any rainfall. Cold Deserts have quite a bit of snow during winter. The summer and the beginning of the spring are barely warm enough for a few lichens, grasses and mosses to grow.

Hot and Dry Deserts vegetation is very rare. Plants are almost all ground-hugging shrubs and short woody trees. All of the leaves are replete (packed with nutrients). Some examples of these kinds of plant are Turpentine Bush, Prickly Pears, and Brittle Bush. For all of these plants to survive they have to have adaptations. Some of the adaptations in this case are the ability to store water for long periods of time and the ability to stand the hot weather.

Cold Desert's plants are scattered. In areas with little shade,about 10 percent of the ground is covered with plants. In some areas of sagebrush it reaches 85 percent. The height of scrub varies from 15 cm to 122 cm. All plants are either deciduous and more or less contain spiny leaves.

Hot and Dry Deserts animals include small nocturnal (only active at night) carnivores. There are also insects, arachnids, reptiles, and birds. Some examples of these animals are Borrowers, Mourning Wheatears, and Horned Vipers. Cold Deserts have animals like Antelope, Ground Squirrels, Jack Rabbits, and Kangaroo Rats.

Stetson N. 2000
Bibliography:
Lambert, Wayne, "Deserts", The World Book Encyclopedia, 1994 ed.

Critchfield, Howard J., "Deserts", The New Book of Knowledge, 1998 ed.

"Deserts". http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/glossary/gloss5/deserts.html, (5/30/00)

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In this report you will learn about Hot and Dry Deserts and Cold Deserts. I hope you enjoy! A Hot and Dry Desert is, as you can tell from the name, hot and dry. Most Hot and Dry Deserts don't have very many plants. They do have some low down plants though.

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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.

Rain forests belong to the tropical wet climate group. The temperature in a rain forest rarely gets higher than 93 °F (34 °C) or drops below 68 °F (20 °C); average humidity is between 77 and 88%; rainfall is often more than 100 inches a year. There is usually a brief season of less rain. In monsoonal areas, there is a real dry season. Almost all rain forests lie near the equator.

Rainforests now cover less than 6% of Earth's land surface. Scientists estimate that more than half of all the world's plant and animal species live in tropical rain forests. Tropical rainforests produce 40% of Earth's oxygen.

A tropical rain forest has more kinds of trees than any other area in the world. Scientists have counted about 100 to 300 species in one 2 1/2-acre (1-hectare) area in South America. Seventy percent of the plants in the rainforest are trees.

About 1/4 of all the medicines we use come from rainforest plants. Curare comes from a tropical vine, and is used as an anesthetic and to relax muscles during surgery. Quinine, from the cinchona tree, is used to treat malaria. A person with lymphocytic leukemia has a 99% chance that the disease will go into remission because of the rosy periwinkle. More than 1,400 varieties of tropical plants are thought to be potential cures for cancer.

All tropical rain forests resemble one another in some ways. Many of the trees have straight trunks that don't branch out for 100 feet or more. There is no sense in growing branches below the canopy where there is little light. The majority of the trees have smooth, thin bark because there is no need to protect the them from water loss and freezing temperatures. It also makes it difficult for epiphytes and plant parasites to get a hold on the trunks. The bark of different species is so similar that it is difficult to identify a tree by its bark. Many trees can only be identified by their flowers.

Despite these differences, each of the three largest rainforests--the American, the African, and the Asian--has a different group of animal and plant species. Each rain forest has many species of monkeys, all of which differ from the species of the other two rain forests. In addition, different areas of the same rain forest may have different species. Many kinds of trees that grow in the mountains of the Amazon rain forest do not grow in the lowlands of that same forest.
Layers of the Rainforest
There are four very distinct layers of trees in a tropical rain forest. These layers have been identified as the emergent, upper canopy, understory, and forest floor.

Emergent trees are spaced wide apart, and are 100 to 240 feet tall with umbrella-shaped canopies that grow above the forest. Because emergent trees are exposed to drying winds, they tend to have small, pointed leaves. Some species lose their leaves during the brief dry season in monsoon rainforests. These giant trees have straight, smooth trunks with few branches. Their root system is very shallow, and to support their size they grow buttresses that can spread out to a distance of 30 feet.

The upper canopy of 60 to 130 foot trees allows light to be easily available at the top of this layer, but greatly reduced any light below it. Most of the rainforest's animals live in the upper canopy. There is so much food available at this level that some animals never go down to the forest floor. The leaves have "drip spouts" that allows rain to run off. This keeps them dry and prevents mold and mildew from forming in the humid environment.

The understory, or lower canopy, consists of 60 foot trees. This layer is made up of the trunks of canopy trees, shrubs, plants and small trees. There is little air movement. As a result the humidity is constantly high. This level is in constant shade.

The forest floor is usually completely shaded, except where a canopy tree has fallen and created an opening. Most areas of the forest floor receive so little light that few bushes or herbs can grow there. As a result, a person can easily walk through most parts of a tropical rain forest. Less than 1 % of the light that strikes the top of the forest penetrates to the forest floor. The top soil is very thin and of poor quality. A lot of litter falls to the ground where it is quickly broken down by decomposers like termites, earthworms and fungi. The heat and humidity further help to break down the litter. This organic matter is then just as quickly absorbed by the trees' shallow roots.

Plant Life
Besides these four layers, a shrub/sapling layer receives about 3 % of the light that filters in through the canopies. These stunted trees are capable of a sudden growth surge when a gap in the canopy opens above them.

The air beneath the lower canopy is almost always humid. The trees themselves give off water through the pores (stomata) of their leaves. This process, called transpiration, can account for as much as half of the precipitation in the rain forest.

Rainforest plants have made many adaptations to their environment. With over 80 inches of rain per year, plants have made adaptations that helps them shed water off their leaves quickly so the branches don't get weighed down and break. Many plants have drip tips and grooved leaves, and some leaves have oily coatings to shed water. To absorb as much sunlight as possible on the dark understory, leaves are very large. Some trees have leaf stalks that turn with the movement of the sun so they always absorb the maximum amount of light. Leaves in the upper canopy are dark green, small and leathery to reduce water loss in the strong sunlight. Some trees will grow large leaves at the lower canopy level and small leaves in the upper canopy. Other plants grow in the upper canopy on larger trees to get sunlight. These are the epiphytes such as orchids and bromeliads. Many trees have buttress and stilt roots for extra support in the shallow, wet soil of the rainforests.

Over 2,500 species of vines grow in the rainforest. Lianas start off as small shrubs that grow on the forest floor. To reach the sunlight in the upper canopy it sends out tendrils to grab sapling trees. The liana and the tree grow towards the canopy together. The vines grow from one tree to another and make up 40% of the canopy leaves. The rattan vine has spikes on the underside of its leaves that point backwards to grab onto sapling trees. Other "strangler" vines will use trees as support and grow thicker and thicker as they reach the canopy, strangling its host tree. They look like trees whose centers have been hollowed out.

Dominant species do not exist in tropical rainforests. Lowland dipterocarp forest can consist of many different species of Dipterocarpaceae, but not all of the same species. Trees of the same species are very seldom found growing close together. This bio diversity and separation of the species prevents mass contamination and die-off from disease or insect infestation. Bio diversity also insures that there will be enough pollinators to take care of each species' needs. Animals depend on the staggered blooming and fruiting of rainforest plants to supply them with a year-round source of food.
Animal Life
Many species of animal life can be found in the rain forest. Common characteristics found among mammals and birds (and reptiles and amphibians, too) include adaptations to a life in the trees, such as the prehensile tails of New World monkeys. Other characteristics are bright colors and sharp patterns, loud vocalizations, and diets heavy on fruits.

Insects make up the largest single group of animals that live in tropical forests. They include brightly colored butterflies, mosquitoes, camouflaged stick insects, and huge colonies of ants.

The Amazon river basin rainforest contains a wider variety of plant and animal life than any other biome in the world. The second largest population of plant and animal life can be found in scattered locations and islands of Southeast Asia. The lowest variety can be found in Africa. There may be 40 to 100 different species in 2.5 acres ( 1 hectare) of a tropical rain forest.

When early explorers first discovered the rainforests of Africa, Southeast Asia and South America, they They were amazed by the dense growth, trees with giant buttresses, vines and epiphytes . The tropical vegetation grew so dense that it was difficult to cut one's way through it. It was thought at the time that the soil of a rainforest must be very fertile, filled with nutrients, enabling it to support the immense trees and other vegetation they found.

Today we know that the soil of the tropical rainforests is shallow, very poor in nutrients and almost without soluble minerals. Thousands of years of heavy rains have washed away the nutrients in the soil obtained from weathered rocks. The rainforest has a very short nutrient cycle. Nutrients generally stay in an ecosystem by being recycled and in a rainforest are mainly found in the living plants and the layers of decomposing leaf litter. Various species of decomposers like insects, bacteria, and fungi make quick work of turning dead plant and animal matter into nutrients. Plants take up these nutrients the moment they are released.

A study in the Amazon rainforest found that 99% of nutrients are held in root mats. When a rainforest is burned or cut down the nutrients are removed from the ecosystem. The soil can only be used for a very short time before it becomes completely depleted of all nutrients.
Where the Rainforests Are Found
The tropical rain forest can be found in three major geographical areas around the world.

Central America in the Amazon river basin.

Africa - Zaire basin, with a small area in West Africa; also eastern Madagascar.

Indo-Malaysia - west coast of India, Assam, Southeast Asia, New Guinea and Queensland, Australia.

Rainforests
In an average year the climate in a tropical rain forest is very humid because of all the rainfall. A tropical rainforest gets about 150 cm of rain per year. It gets lots of rain because it is very hot and wet in rain forests. The hotter the air, the more water vapor it can hold. It rains usually about 1/8 of an inch per day.

This climate is found near the equator. That means that there is more direct sunlight hitting the land and sea there than anywhere else. The sun warms the land and sea and the water evaporates into the air. The warm air can hold a lot of water vapor. As the air rises, it cools. That means it can hold less water vapor. Then as warm meets cold, condensation takes place and the vapor forms droplets and clouds form. The clouds then produce rain. It rains more than ninety days a year and the strong sun usually shines between the storms. The water cycle repeats often along the equator.

The main plants in this biome are trees. This is important because in the rain forest, some rain never gets past the trees and to the smaller plants and ground below. Trees in this climate reach a height of more than 164 feet. They form a canopy. The forest floor is called understory. The canopy also keeps sunlight from reaching the plants in the understory. Between the canopy and understory is a lower canopy made up of smaller trees. These plants do receive some filtered sunlight.

The tropical rain forest is classified under the Köppen Classification system as Af, meaning tropical forest. The A is given to tropical climates that are moist for all months and which have average temperatures above 18 degrees Celsius. The f stands for sufficient precipitation for all months. The latitude range for my climate is 15° to 25° North and South of the equator.

The annual precipitation of a rain forest is greater than 150 cm. In a rain forest there is a short dry season. In only a month the rainforest receives 4 inches of rain. The rain forest climate is different from a lot of other climates. In other climates, the evaporation is carried away to fall as rain in far off areas, but in the rain forests, 50 percent of the precipitation comes from its own evaporation. A lot of the rain that falls on the rain forest never reaches the ground, instead it stays on the trees because the leaves act as a shield.

The average temperature of a rain forest is about 77° Fahrenheit. The rain forest is about the same temperature year round. The temperature never drops below 64° Fahrenheit. Rain forests are so hot because they are found near the equator. The closer to the equator you are, the more solar radiation there is. The more solar radiation there is, the hotter it is. Rain forest are never found in climates which have temperatures 32° Fahrenheit and below because the plant life will not be able to live in the frost. All the plants will die out if the rain forest is cooler.

The plants that make up the understory of a rain forest have adapted to the small amount of sunlight that they receive. Ferns and mosses do well, along with epiphytes. These are plants that grow on other plants. They can be found growing on branches of tall trees. There are many different plant species found in the rain forest.

by Michael G. 2001
Bibliography:
"Introduction", http://www.hqlist.demon.nl/gvg/ctkoppen.htm (Nov 2000)

"Köppen Biomes", http://www.tesarta.com/www/resources/library/biomes.html (Dec 2000)

"Rainfall", http://encarta.msn.com/find/print.asp?&pg=8&ti=00531000&sc=29&pt=1 (Dec.2000)

"Temperature", http://encarta.msn.com/find/print.asp?&pg=8&ti=00531000&sc=29&pt=1 (Dec.2000)

Allaby, Michael, Biomes of the world volume 7 Oxford: Anndromedia Limited1999

Kellert, Stephen R. Macmillion Encyclopedia of the Environment. Simon and Schuster and Prentice Hall International. 1997

"Rainforest Climate", http://passporttoknowledge.com/rainforest/GEOsystem/Rainforests/climate.html (March 2001)

Stralhler, Arthur N. Strahler, Alan H. Elements of Physical Geography . John Wiley & Sons. 1997.

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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. Rain forests belong to the tropical wet climate group.

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Science for Kids: Temperate Forest Biome

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Kids learn about the temperate forest biome. Four distinct seasons and lots of trees.

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Parents and Teachers: Please follow me on Teachers Pay Teachers and Twitter.

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Parents and Teachers: Please follow me on Teachers Pay Teachers and Twitter.

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Parents and Teachers: Please follow me on Teachers Pay Teachers and Twitter.

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Temperate forests are found in cool, rainy areas and are comprised primarily of deciduous trees that shed their leaves in the fall and re-grow them in spring. Fall is often spectacular in the temperate forest as leaves turn nrown, orange, yellow, red, or purple before falling to the ground.

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Biomes

We've all seen deserts in the movies. They are full of miles and miles of sand dunes. However, not all deserts are like this. Many deserts are rocky with scattered plants and shrubs. There are even deserts that are icy and cold. On this page we will describe the hot and dry deserts. You can follow these links to read about the icy cold polar deserts that are found in the Antarctic and the North Pole.

What makes a desert a desert?

Deserts are primarily defined by their lack of rain. They generally get 10 inches or less rain in a year. Deserts are characterized in an overall lack of water. They have dry soil, little to no surface water, and high evaporation. They are so dry that sometimes rain evaporates before it can hit the ground!

Hot in the Day, Cold at Night

Because deserts are so dry and their humidity is so low, they have no "blanket" to help insulate the ground. As a result, they may get very hot during the day with the sun beating down, but don't hold the heat overnight. Many deserts can quickly get cold once the sun sets. Some deserts can reach temperatures of well over 100 degrees F during the day and then drop below freezing (32 degrees F) during the night.

Where are the major hot and dry deserts?

The largest hot and dry desert in the world is the Sahara Desert in Northern Africa. The Sahara is a sandy desert with giant sand dunes. It covers over 3 million square miles of Africa. Other major deserts include the Arabian Desert in the Middle East, the Gobi Desert in Northern China and Mongolia, and the Kalahari Desert in Africa. Go here to learn more about the world's deserts.

How do animals survive in the desert?

Animals have adapted to survive in the desert despite its extreme temperatures and lack of water. Many of the animals are nocturnal. Meaning they sleep during the heat of the day and come out when it is cooler at night. These same animals sleep in burrows, tunnels under the ground, during the day in order to stay cool. Desert animals include meerkats, camels, reptiles such as the horned toad, scorpions, and grasshoppers.

Animals that live in the desert also have adapted to needing little water. Many get all the water they need from the food they eat. Other animals store up water that they can use later. The camel stores up fat in its hump while other animals store up reserves in their tails.

What plants can live here?

Only certain types of plants can survive the harsh environment of the desert. These include cactus, grasses, shrubs, and some short trees. You won't see a lot of tall trees in the desert. Most of these plants have a way to store water in their stems, leaves, or trunks so they can survive a long time without water. They also tend to be spread out from each other and have a large root system so they can gather up all the water possible when it does rain. Many desert plants are armed with sharp spines and needles to help protect them from animals.

Dust Storms

Because the desert is so dry, the wind will grind pebbles and sand into dust. Occasionally a big wind storm will gather up this dust into a huge storm. Dust storms can be over 1 mile high and so thick with dust you can't breathe. They can travel for over a thousand miles, too.

Expanding Deserts

Currently deserts cover around 20% of the world's land, but they are growing. This is called desertification and is caused by different factors including human activities. The Sahara Desert is expanding at the rate of around 30 miles per year.

Facts about the Desert Biome

The giant saguaro cactus can grow 50 feet tall and live for 200 years.

Plants that store water in their stems are called succulents.

Some desert trees have deep taproots that grow up to 30 feet deep in order to find water.

The elf owl will sometimes live inside a cactus during the day and then come out at night to hunt.

Dust storms from the Gobi Desert have been known to reach Beijing, China nearly 1,000 miles away.

Camels can go without water for a week. A thirsty camel can drink 30 gallons of water in less than 15 minutes.

Activities

Take a ten question quiz about this page.

More ecosystem and biome subjects:

Land Biomes
Desert

Grasslands

Savanna

Tundra

Tropical Rainforest

Temperate Forest

Taiga Forest

Aquatic Biomes
Marine

Freshwater

Coral Reef

Nutrient Cycles
Food Chain and Food Web (Energy Cycle)

Carbon Cycle

Oxygen Cycle

Water Cycle

Nitrogen Cycle

Back to the main Biomes and Ecosystems page.

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Kids learn about the desert biome. The dryest areas on Earth still have plant and animal life.

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Kids learn about the grasslands biome. Flat with few trees, these ecosystems feed much of the world.

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Kids learn about the tundra grasslands biome. This cold and dry ecosystem is located far to the north.

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Biomes

One of the most fascinating biomes on planet Earth is the tropical rainforest. It is filled with tall trees, interesting plants, giant insects, and all sorts of animals.
What makes a forest a rainforest?

As you might have guessed from the name, rainforests are forests that get a lot of rain. Tropical rainforests are located in the tropics, near the equator. Most rainforests get at least 75 inches of rain with many getting well over 100 inches in areas.

Rainforests are also very humid and warm. Because they are close to the equator, the temperature stays between 70 and 90 degrees F for most of the year.

Where are the world's rainforests?

There are three major areas of tropical rainforests:

Africa - The major tropical rainforest in Africa is in the southern central portion of the continent with the Congo River running through it. There are also rainforests in western Africa and Madagascar.

Southeast Asia - Much of Southeast Asia is considered part of a tropical rainforest biome. It runs all the way from Myanmar to New Guinea.

South America - This is the world's largest tropical rainforest. It covers much of the northern part of South America as well as the southern portion of Central America. The area is often called the Amazon basin and has the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers running through it.

Biodiversity
The tropical rainforest has the most biodiversity of all the land biomes. Despite only covering around 6% of the Earth's surface, scientists estimate that around half of the planet's animal and plant species live in the world's rainforests.

Layers of the Rainforest

The rainforest can be divided up into three layers: the canopy, the understory, and the forest floor. Different animals and plants live in each different layer.

The canopy - This is the top layer of trees. These trees are usually at least 100 feet tall. Their branches and leaves form an umbrella over the rest of the layers. Most of the plants and animals live on this layer. This includes monkeys, birds, insects, and reptiles of all sorts. Some animals can live their entire lives without leaving the canopy to touch the ground. This layer is the loudest layer with the animals making lots of noise.

The understory - Beneath the canopy is the understory. This layer is made up of some shorter trees and shrubs, but mostly the trunks and branches of the canopy trees. This layer is home to some of the larger predators like snakes and leopards. It is also home to owls, bats, insects, frogs, iguanas, and various other animals.

The forest floor - Because of the thickness of the canopy, very little sunlight makes it to the forest floor. This layer is home to lots of insects and spiders. There are also some animals that live on this layer including deer, pigs, and snakes. This layer is the quietest layer as animals sneak around in the dark making little noise.

Sometimes scientists refer to a fourth layer called the emergent layer. This is made up of tall trees that grow above the canopy.
What makes this biome so important?

The rainforests are important to the world for many reasons. One reason is that they act as the Earth's lungs by producing around 40% of the world's oxygen. Since all of us need oxygen to live, that reason ranks pretty high. The rainforests also provide a number of important drugs to help sick people and cure diseases. It is believed by many that there are even cures for cancer waiting for us to discover in the rainforest. The rainforest is also home to many species of animals and is a beautiful and irreplaceable part of nature.

The Disappearing Rainforests

Unfortunately, human development is killing off much of the world's rainforest. Around 40% of the world's rainforests have already been lost. Environmentalists are doing what they can to help countries preserve this vital biome.

Facts About Tropical Rainforests

Surprisingly, the soil in a rainforest is shallow and has little nutrients.

In the Amazon rainforest there are over 2,000 species of butterflies.

They are home to interesting "flying" animals such as squirrels, snakes, and frogs.

It is estimated that 25% of the ingredients in medicines today come from the rainforest.

Rainforests impact the temperatures and weather patterns throughout the world.

One fifth of the world's freshwater supply is in the Amazon rainforest.

Every second, a section of rainforest the size of a football field is cut down.

Only about 2% of the sunlight hits the forest floor.

Activities
Take a ten question quiz about this page.

More ecosystem and biome subjects:

Land Biomes
Desert

Grasslands

Savanna

Tundra

Tropical Rainforest

Temperate Forest

Taiga Forest

Aquatic Biomes
Marine

Freshwater

Coral Reef

Nutrient Cycles
Food Chain and Food Web (Energy Cycle)

Carbon Cycle

Oxygen Cycle

Water Cycle

Nitrogen Cycle

Back to the main Biomes and Ecosystems page.
Back to Kids Science Page

Back to Kids Study Page

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Science for Kids: Tropical Rainforest Biome

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Kids learn about the tropical rainforest biome. This diverse ecosystem produces much of the Earth's biodiversity.

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Kids learn about the taiga forest biome. The largest of the land biomes is known for its evergreen trees.

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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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Location | Weather | Plants | Animals | People | Links

LOCATION: Taiga, also known as coniferous or boreal forest, is the largest terrestrial biome on earth. It extends in a broad band across North America, Europe, and Asia to the southern border of the arctic tundra. It is also found at cool, high elevations in the more temperate latitudes, for example, in much of the mountainous western region of North America. Much of the taiga in North America was once covered with glaciers. As the glaciers receded, cuts and depressions were left in the landscape that have since filled with rain creating lakes and bogs.

WEATHER: Long, cold winters, and short, mild, wet summers are typical of this region. In the winter, chilly winds from the arctic cause bitterly cold weather in the taiga. The length of day also varies with the seasons. Winter days are short, while summer days are long because of the tilt of the earth on its axis. Fire is not uncommon in the taiga during the summer. Fires may seem destructive, but they actually help this biome by removing old sick trees, making room for new growth. Precipitation is relatively high in the taiga and falls as snow during the winter and rain during the summer. The total yearly precipitation in the taiga biome is 10 - 30 inches (25 - 75 cm).

PLANTS: Compared to other biomes, the taiga has less diversity in plant life. The most common type of tree found in the taiga is the conifer, or cone-bearing tree. Conifers, also known as evergreens, include pines, spruces and firs. There may also occasionally be deciduous species present, such as oak, birch, willow, or alder, in a particularly wet or disturbed area. The soil in the taiga is thin, acidic and not very nutrient rich. It also is rocky. Due to these factors, plants in the taiga have different adaptations than the plants we find around Santa Barbara.

The< name, evergreen, describes an important adaptation of conifers. Just like Kermit, they are always green! Because they don't drop their leaves in the winter, they don't have to regrow them in the spring. This is good for trees in a tough environment because growing new leaves takes a lot of energy. Another adaptation of conifers to live in the taiga has to do with their needles. Although the taiga has moderately high precipitation, the frozen winter ground makes it difficult for trees to get water. Having thin needles with a waxy coating limits water loss of the conifer through transpiration. The dark color of the pine needles is also important. What happens when you where a dark T-shirt on a sunny day? You get hot, right? This is because your dark shirt is absorbing energy from the sun. Well, the dark needles do the same thing for the evergreen. They help the tree absorb the maximum amount of energy from the sun for photosynthesis. Conifers also have that pointy shape for a good reason. The winter snow slides right off of their branches. Without this shape the heavy snow might break or damage the conifer branches.

ANIMALS: The cold climate of the taiga makes it a difficult place for many animals to live. Many have thick coats of fur to insulate against the cold, and some hibernate. Others migrate to warmer areas in the chilly winters. Animal populations are mainly seed-eating squirrels and jays; small mammals like ermine and moles; and larger browsing animals such as deer, moose, elk, and snowshoe hare. The bogs and ponds in the taiga provide a great summertime breeding place for many different insects. Migratory birds often come to the taiga to nest and feed on all these insects. The typical predators for this area are grizzly bears, wolves, lynxes and wolverines. These are pretty ferocious, so their prey must adapt to flourish. Some animals hide from predators by changing color to blend into the different summer and winter habitats. For example, the ermine is dark brown in the summer, but in the winter it turns white. What excellent camouflage!

PEOPLE AND THE TAIGA: There are a few large cities in the southern parts of the taiga, such as Moscow and Toronto, but most of it is relatively unpopulated. There are also a few native communities of people who still live indigenously in the taiga. The major industries of the taiga include logging, mining, and hydroelectric development. These activities have had negative impacts on areas of this biome and may continue to negatively affect it in the future. A majority of the logging in the taiga is done by clear-cutting, using heavy machinery to remove much of the surrounding forest. Hydroelectric development may seem beneficial because it uses water to generate power, but it has damaged the taiga by changing stream habitats and flow patterns, and flooding large areas and changing the landscape. Mining is a concern because it may result in pollution of surrounding soils and water, specifically acid rain. Regrowth of mature forests takes a long time because of the climate and soil conditions of the taiga. Many large vertebrates who live in the taiga are sensitive to human presence, habitat alteration, and pollution. Two simple things you can do to help the taiga are learn more about this biome, and use paper wisely making sure to recycle. This will help reduce the need for logging of trees for pulp used to make paper.
LINKS: The Taiga Taiga Topics Blue Planet Biomes: Taiga Taiga Rescue Network Earth Floor: Taiga Geography for Kids: Coniferous Forest Earth Observatory: Coniferous Forest
Back to Biomes Index

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Location | Weather | Plants | Animals | People | Links LOCATION: Taiga, also known as coniferous or boreal forest, is the largest terrestrial biome on earth. It extends in a broad band across North America, Europe, and Asia to the southern border of the arctic tundra.

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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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Location | Weather | Plants | Animals | People | Links

LOCATION: Although few animals and plants are adapted to the extremely dry desert life, the desert is a vital biome. The desert is important because it covers about a fifth of the earth's surface! There are both hot and cold deserts. Antarctica is the largest desert in the world, while the Sahara in Africa is the largest of the hot deserts. There are also deserts close to Santa Barbara, such as the Mojave the Colorado Desert which encompass parts of Southern California. In North America, there are four major hot, dry deserts, including the Mojave and the Great Basin. Outside the U.S. hot, dry deserts are found in the Southern Asian realm, South and Central America, Ethiopia and Australia.

Another type of desert is the coastal desert, for example, the Atacama Desert in Chile of South America. And then there are cold deserts. That sounds pretty silly! If deserts are supposed to be hot, how can there possibly be a cold desert? Well these deserts are in places like Antarctica and Greenland where vegetation is sparce, just like the more commonly known hot, dry deserts.

WEATHER: Weather is not the same in all deserts. The seasons in hot and dry deserts are usually very hot during the summer and warm during the rest of the year. During winter these deserts get little rainfall. Rain is often light, or in short concentrated bursts. Most of the time evaporation rates are faster than rainfall rates. Sometimes the rain evaporates before even hitting the ground. This is the reason for the dry characteristic of this type of desert. Coastal deserts are in moderately cool to warm areas. Coastal deserts usually have cool winters followed by fairly long, warm summers. The temperature in the winters is generally 41°F (5&degC) or below. In the summer the weather heats up to between 55° and 75°F (12 and 24&degC). Average rainfall is usually 3 - 5 inches (8 - 13 cm). The Atacama is the Earth's driest desert. In the Atacama 1 millimeter or more of rain falls every 5-20 years. Cold deserts have short, moist and moderately warm summers, and long cold winters like one could expect in Antarctica. The winter temperature ranges from -5°F to -110°F (-20.5 to -79&degC), and in the summer it can be a nice, balmy, 32°F (0&degC). The coldest day recorded in Antarctica was -113°F (-80.5&degC)!

PLANTS: Deserts plants have many adaptations to survive in such a dry environment. They are good at storing and finding water. Some plants have seeds that can stay dormant in the sand for a long time, until there is enough rain for them to grow. In hot deserts, you'll often find Cacti. Cacti are great at storing water. With their waxy coating, water can't escape and their spines protect them from being desert dinner. Their roots are shallow, and widely spread so that any rain can be absorbed immediately! Some other plants you might find in the hot desert are creosote bush, sagebrush, and ocotillo. Coastal deserts house a variety of plants. These plants must adapt to minimal rainfall by having extensive root systems that come up to the surface to absorb any possible rainfall, and go far down to absorb any water saturated in the ground. These plants also have very thick leaves that can absorb and store water whenever it is available. The plants that live in coastal deserts include salt bush, rice grass, black sage and chrysothamnus. Plants can even live in cold deserts, but you won't find as many here as in other types of deserts. Plants in cold deserts include algae, grasses, and plants with spiny thin leaves. Usually these plants grow only in the summer.

ANIMALS: Deserts are a very important biome. No, not because of all the sand! Mostly because of all the plants and animals that call the desert "home". Some animals that live in the hot desert are cold-blooded, like snakes, insects, and lizards. Mammals that live in the desert are usually small, such as the kangaroo rat and kit fox. Sometimes it's hard to survive in the desert. Some mice build their home out of fallen cactus spines to protect themselves from predators like coyotes and hawks. In the Eritrean coastal desert in Djibouti, Africa, animals like gazelles, skinks, geckos and dikdiks roam the desert. Fewer animals live in the cold desert. In Antarctica, most of the animals live near the ocean shore. Because of their ice home, seals, penguins, and other birds rely on fish, squid and other sea creatures for their food.

PEOPLE AND THE DESERT: People have a variety of uses for deserts. The desert is popular for tourism and recreation. Often people visit to see the beautiful sand colors and rock formations. Many people enjoy visiting the desert because it is a quiet place to get away from the business and noise of cities and spend time in the open land. The desert offers many types of recreation, for example, rock climbing, hiking and dirt biking. Mining, grazing, road building, and utility projects take place in the desert. Because of desert sensitivity, it is important that desert uses be managed properly to protect the wildlife and habitat.
LINKS: The Deserts in the American Southwest Deserts Environment Geography for Kids: Deserts Cool Planet: Deserts Biomes of the World: Desert
Back to Biomes Index

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Location | Weather | Plants | Animals | People | Links LOCATION: Although few animals and plants are adapted to the extremely dry desert life, the desert is a vital biome. The desert is important because it covers about a fifth of the earth's surface! There are both hot and cold deserts.

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Information for students K-6 about tropical rainforests of the world, their importance, adaptations of plants and animals, and why they are endangered.

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Information for students K-6 about the tundra biome.

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Information about desert biome and the plants and animals that live there, for kids K - 6

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Information for students K-6 about taiga biome, with links to information about other biomes.

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Information about deciduous forest biome and the plants and animals that live there, for kids K - 6

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Information about grasslands and about the animals and plants that live there, for kids K - 6

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Kids learn about the marine biome. The largest biome by far, the oceans cover most of the Earth's surface.

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Kids learn about the freshwater aquatic biome. Ecosystems such as rivers, streams, ponds, lakes, wetlands, swamps, and bogs.

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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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Location | Weather | Plants | Animals | People | Links

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Ocean Animals for Kids - Whales, Sea Otter, Orca, Sea Lion + more

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A pond is a shallow hole where water collects. Plants generally grow around the edges of the pond, and often right across the whole pond. The temperature of the water is similar at the surface and at the bottom of the pond. The bottom is generally covered with mud. There are usually no waves. In places where winters are very cold, the whole pond can freeze solid.

Some ponds are seasonal, and only fill at certain times of the year when there is rain.

A lake is bigger than a pond, sometimes thousands of square metres. Plants can only grow along the shoreline because the water is too deep away from the edges. Some lakes are so big that there are waves.

In summer, the temperature of the water in a lake is not the same: the top part of the water gets more of the sun's heat and is warm (about 19-25ºC), the middle layer is cooler because it gets less of the sunlight (aobut 8-19ºC) , and the bottom layer, which does not get any sunlight, is quite cold (about 4-8ºC).

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A pond is a shallow hole where water collects. Plants generally grow around the edges of the pond, and often right across the whole pond. The temperature of the water is similar at the surface and at the bottom of the pond. The bottom is generally covered with mud.

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Thousands of red lotus flowers bloom each October in Lake Nong Harn in eastern Thailand.

What is Freshwater?

Rivers, creeks, lakes, ponds, and streams are all freshwater habitats. So are wetlands like swamps, which have woody plants and trees; and marshes, which have no trees but lots of grasses and reeds. Freshwater accounts for only three percent of the world's water. (The rest is saltwater.) But despite that tiny amount, freshwater habitats are homes for more than 100,000 species of plants and animals.

More Than Fish

Fish living in freshwater habitats have plenty of company. Snails, worms, turtles, frogs, marsh birds, mollusks, alligators, beavers, otters, snakes, and many types of insects live there too. Some unusual animals, like the river dolphin and the diving bell spider, are freshwater creatures. Plants such as algae, cattails, water lilies, and aspen and willow trees help keep the water clean by using their root systems to filter pollution and excess nutrients from the water.

A Place for Water

Lakes are formed by different acts of nature. Many appeared after glaciers moved across Earth during the last ice age, between 12,000 and 1.8 million years ago, and left giant bowl-shaped hollows in the land that filled with rainwater and runoff. Others were created when Earth's crust shifted, leaving grooves and ridges to catch water. And sometimes when a volcano erupts, all the magma flows out. If the land collapses into the empty crater, it leaves holes that can turn into huge lakes. Crater Lake in Oregon was made this way.

Rivers are created when melting snow or ice runs down mountains, following the grooves and channels of the land on the way to the sea-rivers always flow to an ocean. Wetlands, areas where the land is covered with water most of the time, often form in the land surrounding rivers that flood, or in areas where groundwater seeps up through the bedrock underneath the soil. Bedrock is made of different types of rocks like granite, sandstone and limestone. Water can seep through the cracks between these rocks, and it can dissolve limestone. Beavers can even create wetlands by building dams on rivers and streams.

Famous Freshwaters

The largest freshwater habitat in the world is the Everglades, a 1.5 million acre wetlands in southern Florida. The Amazon River in South America begins in the Andes Mountains and goes 4,000 miles (6,400 km) to the Atlantic Ocean; it flows through six countries, including Peru and Ecuador. Lake Baikal in Siberia, a region in Russia, is the world's biggest lake. This North Asian body of water contains one-fifth of all the freshwater on the planet.

So whether you're a hungry turtle, a pollutant-sucking plant, or a thirsty human who also likes to play in the water, freshwater habitats are vital ecosystems for our planet!

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Thousands of red lotus flowers bloom each October in Lake Nong Harn in eastern Thailand. What is Freshwater? Rivers, creeks, lakes, ponds, and streams are all freshwater habitats. So are wetlands like swamps, which have woody plants and trees; and marshes, which have no trees but lots of grasses and reeds.

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Most of Earth’s surface—more than 70 percent—is covered by oceans.

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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 lights blue lines in this map represent most of the rivers all around the world. As you can see mostly all the continents have rivers in them. The teal colored dots represent the lakes and...

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Things you should know

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the world's five oceans, followed by the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean.

Costco Stops Selling 12 Imperiled Fish Under Pressure From Greenpeace

Costco says it has stopped selling about a dozen imperiled fish in a move toward selling consumers more sustainable seafood. ( Read more)

World Ocean Day began on 8 June 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. However, it is not an officially recognized secular holiday by the United Nations as of yet.

World Ocean Day is an opportunity every year to honor the world's ocean that connects us all, celebrate the products the ocean provides, such as seafood, as well as marine life itself for aquariums, pets, and also a time to appreciate its own intrinsic value. The ocean also provides sea-lanes for international trade. Global pollution and over-consumption of fish have resulted in drastically dwindling population of the majority of species.

News

Ocean Pollution: Plastic in oceans are more damaging than climate change. Should plastic bags be banned? ( read more)

Japan Tsunami Debris May Soon Hit California Coast (video)

'Pyramids' planted to revive Philippine corals

Russian scientists reach lake under Antarctica

Bacteria Spreading In Warming Oceans, Scientists Find In New Report

657 New Islands Discovered Worldwide

Japan Nuke Plant Dumps Millions of Gallons of Radioactive Water Into Pacific
Read more Ocean News

The World's 5 Oceans

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the world's five oceans, followed by the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean.

The ocean covers 71 percent of the Earth's surface and contains 97 percent of the planet's water, yet more than 95 percent of the underwater world remains unexplored. The ocean and lakes play an integral role in many of the Earth's systems including climate and weather. The ocean supports the life of nearly 50 percent of all species on Earth and helps sustain that life providing 20 percent of the animal protein and five percent of the total protein in the human diet.

The Death of an Ocean

When an ocean dies, so does the planet. Well, not exactly, we'll..

And Life

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The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the world's five oceans, followed by the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean. Costco Stops Selling 12 Imperiled Fish Under Pressure From Greenpeace Costco says it has stopped selling about a dozen imperiled fish in a move toward selling consumers more sustainable seafood.

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A Map Of The World's Tropical Rain Forests

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For Further Information About Endangered Species And The World's Wildlife, Click HERE And For More Facts About Rainforest Species, Click Here Be Sociable, Share! Tweet

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Located all over the world, deserts cover approximately 20% of earth. These map shows where deserts are located around the world. As you can see, parts of Asia and Africa has the most amount of deserts.

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Located all over the world, deserts cover approximately 20% of earth. These map shows where deserts are located around the world. As you can see, parts of Asia and Africa has the most amount of deserts.