Taiga

Taiga

• largest biome
• primarily a coniferous forest (evergreen trees with needles)
• located between 50degrees latitude north and the Arctic Circle
• fewer animal species
• very very cold in the winter ; but snow and ice melts in the warm summer
  (Insects breed in melting water)
• sun shines for days in the summer- near the top of the world
• In the spring, birds come to nest and lay eggs and eat the plentiful insects

Facts

• Average temperature is below freezing point for 6 months each year
• total yearly precipitation is 12-33 inches.
  (Most comes from the warm, humid summer months instead of snowfall in cold winter)
• 
  

  Taiga Temperatures
  	Low	High
  Winter	-65 F (-54 C)	30 F (-1 C)
  Summer	20 F (-7 C)	70 F (21 C)



•  Long nights in winter and long days in summer
  (Due to the tilt of Earth on its axis)
• prone to wildfires
  (adapted by growing thick bark)
• Decomposition is slow
  - Because of cool temperature
  - Undecayed vegetation builds up on forest floor
  (feel like sponge)
  - soil is thin and lacking in nutrients
  (trees grow taller when warmer temperature allow faster decompositon, or by streams and rivers which carry nutrients from higher ground.

Taiga Plants

• large and seemingly homogeneous
• acres and acres of exact same species

Taiga animals

• life can be cold, dreary and diffcult due to snow, cold and a scarcity of food
• taiga animals must adapt to survive ; some migrate, some hibernate, some simply cope with the environment
• Includes hawl owl, pine grosbeak, ermine, lynx, wolverine