Taiga Biome

The Taiga is a forest biome.  This is the forest biome that is the coolest and the most dry of all of the forest biomes.  The taiga biome is sometimes called the boreal forest or the coniferous forest.  This biome has the largest land biome of all of the biomes.

What are the Characteristics of the Taiga Biome?

The Taiga Biome has different trees that make them different from other biomes.  They have trees that are coniferous such as evergreen trees.  A coniferous tree is a tree that does not loose their leaves when it is wintertime.

The coniferous trees keep their leaves and they try to get as much sunlight as they can.  Since the leaves of the coniferous trees are so dark, they soak up more sunlight than other trees do.

Weather of the Taiga Biome

The weather is the taiga biome is sometimes cold.  The winter weather can get lower than -60 degrees Fahrenheit and the winter lasts almost half of the year.  When the summer comes, the weather is warmer, but the summer does not last for very long.

The Taiga Biome is very dry and only gets around 12-30 inches of rainfall per year and the rain usually comes in the summer and the rest of the precipitation happens from the snow in the wintertime.

Soil of the Taiga Biome

Since the Taiga Biome does not get a lot of rain, the soil is usually thin and it does not have a lot of nutrients because it takes longer for the trees and plants to decay.

Since the soil is not very good and because the winter lasts so long, most plants do not grow for very long.

Where are many Taiga Forest Biomes?

The Taiga Forest Biomes are found all over the world.  The largest ones are found in Russia and Siberia.

Other Taiga Forests are found in the United States, Canada and even in Alaska.

What are Most of the Trees in the Taiga Forest Biome?

Most of the trees that are found in the Taiga Forest are conifers.  Conifers have seeds that grow in cones.  These types of trees also have leaves that are needles because the needles can hold water better than other leaves.

The trees of the Taiga Forest grow in a cone shape so that they can survive snow in the winter months and the snow will slide off.

Most other plants do not grow under the conifer trees because they are so large.  There are a few mosses and ferns that grow under the conifer trees.

Coniferous Forests

Coniferous forests grow in North America, Asia, and Europe and they are places that are mostly cool and snowy in the wintertime and warm and dry in the summertime.  Many of the trees that are found in the Coniferous forests are pines, fir and spruce trees.

Coniferous forests are also known to grow mosses and other low growing plants.  These plants are low to the ground because of the weather and most of them grow under the Coniferous trees.

Coniferous trees grow and they have cones.  The cones help these trees to reproduce.  The cones of these trees fall off, but a coniferous tree never completely loses its leaves.

Coniferous trees have learned to adapt to the weather by growing waxy coatings, and by having needle like leaves that do not need as much water.

The Coniferous forest gets around 140 inches of rain each year.  The soil of the coniferous forest is not great soil and it has a lot of acid because of the hot and humid summers.

Animals of the Coniferous Forest

Some of the animals that live in the Coniferous forest are owls, deer, moose, beavers, woodpeckers, and many insects and other birds.  These animals have learned to adapt by having fur that chances colors and learning to burrow when it is too hot or to hibernate.

Many of the animals that live in the Taiga Forest have thicker fur and feathers to help to keep them warm.  They also have sharp claws and feet so that they can climb.

Other animals have large feet that help them to walk in the snow.

The animals in the coniferous forest or the taiga biome have adapted such as color changing fur so that they are not seen by other animals.

Some of the animals include deer, elk, bears, chipmunks, birds, wolverines, lynx and hawks.

Problems with the Coniferous Forest

Logging that is done by humans has caused animals to lose homes in the coniferous forest.  Mining operations are strong in these areas and it has caused the climate to change and animals to be forced to leave their homes.

More Facts About the Taiga Forest Biome:

• There are sometimes fires that happen in the Taiga Forest and these are called wildfires.
• Some animals hide in trees from their predators.
• The largest Taiga Forest is found in Russia.
• Taiga Forests are becoming endangered because of logging.
• Some of the plants that are found in this type of forest come back year after year and they do not grow in the winter.
• When plants come back year after year, they are called perennials.

What Did You Learn?

• What is a Taiga Forest Biome?  The Taiga Forest Biome is made of trees and is the largest of all of the land biomes in the world.
• What types of trees grow in the Taiga Forest Biome?  Conifer trees are what grow in the Taiga Forest Biome.
• What kind of weather is in the Taiga Forest Biome?  The weather of the Taiga Forest Biome is usually cold for around 6 months and then warmer for the other months.
• Does the Taiga Forest Biome get a lot of rain?  The Taiga Forest Biome only gets around 12-30 inches of rainfall per year.
• Are animals found in the Taiga Forest Biome?  There are many different species of animals found in the Taiga Forest Biome such as lynx, wolverines, hawks, wolves, deer, bears, chipmunks and more.

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