Biome presentation

Coniferous forest –

Taiga

Location

• Located in: • North America• Scandinavia• Russia• Across Asia: Siberia and

Mongolia • Northern China• Northern Japan

Climate in Taiga

• Sub arctic & cold continental climate

• Cold winds bring bitterly cold air from the Arctic Circle

• Tilted Earth – taiga is turned away from the sun in winter

Winter

• Lasts for 6 months• Cold & severe• Temperature –30°C• Some snowfall

• Lasts for 3 months• Hot & humid• Temperature 30°C• A lot of rain

Summer

Temperature

• Highest temperatures in July & August (30°C)

• Lowest in January & February (–30°C)

• Most rainfall from June to August

• Most snow from December-February

Precipitation

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Vegetation

• NPP – 800g/m2/yr• Nutrient cycle:

a) Litter – the largest

b) Biomass – medium

c) Soil – the smallest

Nutrient cycle

Vegetation

• Very few species• Needle leaf trees are

dominant & adapted to the cold

• Coniferous trees can keep they’re needles for 15 years

Advantages1. Needle leaf – have thick

waxy coatings2. Conical shape –

prevents loss of branches

3. Evergreen habit – plants can photosynthesize throughout the year

4. Dark green color – helps to begin the photosynthesis early

VegetationMossesLichen

4 main needle leaf trees in TaigaFirSpruce

4 main needle leaf trees in Taiga

Pine Larch

4 main leaf trees in TaigaAspen Birch

4 main leaf trees in TaigaWillow Rowan

Soil

• Type of soil – podzolic

• Very acidic & sandy• Poor in nutrients• Poor agricultural soil• Leached minerals –

restricts the drainage of water through the soil

Animals in Taiga

• Need to have special adaptations to survive

• Adapted to the climate by hibernation

• Breed and raise the young in the summer

• Constantly changing population – local animals have to change what they are hunting

Food Chain

Animals in Taiga

• The bear – omnivore.• Eats berries and

salmon in the summer• Needs to "fatten up"

for winter hibernation. • Winter – the bear

goes to its cave & sleeps until the spring

Animals in Taiga

• Lynx – carnivore• Eats rabbits, birds,

and other small prey.• Adapts by changing

its coat to disguise itself.

• Soft white in the winter

• Light brown with dark spots in the summer

Animals in Taiga• Snowshoe Rabbit – herbivore• Eats available plants• Has large back feet –

snowshoes.• Grayish brown fur in the

summer• Pure white in the winter• Can run up to 40km/h and

jump 90cm in one hop.• An expert at escaping

predators like the wolf or lynx.

• Good swimmers – will swim to make an escape.

Conclusion

• Largest biome• Cold & sever winters• Hot & humid

summers• Dominating needle

leaf trees• Poor soil• Few species• Animals need special

adaptations to survive

Bibliography

• http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/taiga_climate_page.htm• http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/taiga/index.htm• http://www.nceas.ucsb.edu/nceas-web/kids/biomes/tundra.htm• http://www.runet.edu/~swoodwar/CLASSES/GEOG235/biomes/

taiga/taiga.html• http://www-eosdis.ornl.gov/NPP/guides/Busing_GSM_NPP.html• http://www.s-cool.co.uk/topic_principles.asp?

loc=pr&topic_id=2&subject_id=6&ebt=192&ebn=&ebs=&ebl=&elc=13

• http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/taiga.html• www.slusarczyk.net/winter/• http://www.wildnatureimages.com/S%20to%20Z/TEK-SUMMER..jpg• David Waugh, Geography An Integrated Approach, pg 300, 330-332