About the Taiga Biome
The name Taiga comes from the Russian word meaning "forest." The Taiga is the world's largest terrestrial biome. It covers most of Canada, Alaska, and the continental United States. The biome is most specifically described as a terrestrial subarctic and humid environment. Many other countries such as Russia, Mongolia, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Iceland have very large parts containing the Taiga biome. This biome is mostly characterized by coniferous forests consisting of many plants found below.
Geographical and Species Information
Also know as the boreal forest, the Taiga is a biome characterized as a coniferous forest, consisting of many pines, spruces, and larches. The subarctic region is located around the Northern Hemisphere that lies just South of the Arctic Circle. The Taiga biome lies between the tundra to the North and temperate forests to the South.
Species that live in the Taiga biome would include many of the following: the American Black Bear, Bald Eagle, Bobcat, Canadian Lynx, Gray Wolf, Grizzly Bear, Long-Eared Owl, Red Fox, River Otter, Snowshoe Rabbit, and the Wolverine.
Species that live in the Taiga biome would include many of the following: the American Black Bear, Bald Eagle, Bobcat, Canadian Lynx, Gray Wolf, Grizzly Bear, Long-Eared Owl, Red Fox, River Otter, Snowshoe Rabbit, and the Wolverine.
Native Animals of the Taiga
Competition or Cooperation
Black bears and grey wolves fight for their survival
Over most biomes each animal fights for their own packs' survival or just for themselves. When it comes to competition its every one for their own.
A musk ox's diet consists of plants such as sedges and grasses, while a caribou's is made of berries, grass and sedge. When food is hard to find musk ox and caribou might have some competition trying to get something to eat. It might be hard to find a musk ox fighting for a sedge with a caribou, though.
In most cases the redwood tree provides a home for many smaller creatures.The moss that grows on the trees protects the tree, and makes a house for the moss.
A musk ox's diet consists of plants such as sedges and grasses, while a caribou's is made of berries, grass and sedge. When food is hard to find musk ox and caribou might have some competition trying to get something to eat. It might be hard to find a musk ox fighting for a sedge with a caribou, though.
In most cases the redwood tree provides a home for many smaller creatures.The moss that grows on the trees protects the tree, and makes a house for the moss.
Native Plants of the Taiga Biome
PinesKingdom: Plantae
Division: Pinophyta Class: Pinopsida Order: Pinales Family: Pinaceae Genus: Pinus Pines are native to Taiga biomes all over most of the Northern Hemisphere and have been found all throughout temperate and subtropical regions of the world. They grow 3-80 meters tall once mature but most only reach 150-45 meters tall. |
SprucesKingdom:Plantae
Division: Pinophyta Class: Pinopsida Order: Pinales Family: Pinaceae Subfamily: Piceoideae Genus: Picea Spruces are usually found in the northern temperate and taiga regions of the world. When they mature, they can reach heights of 20-60 meters. |
LarchesKingdom: Plantae
Division: Pinophyta Class: Pinopsida Order: Pinales Family: Pinaceae Genus: Larix Larches are usually native to the temperate northern hemisphere and in the lowlands of the north and in the higher parts of mountains in the south. Larches dominant the taiga biome, usually in Canada and Russia. Larches can range from 20-40 meters in length. |
The Adaptations of the Plants
Plants have adaptations to help them survive (live and grow) in different areas. Adaptations are special features that allow a plant or animal to live in a particular place or habitat. These adaptations might make it very difficult for the plant to survive in a different place. This explains why certain plants are found in one area, but not in another. For example, you wouldn't see a cactus living in the Arctic. Nor would you see lots of really tall trees living in grasslands.
Adaptations of Plants in the Taiga Biome:
Adaptations of Plants in the Taiga Biome:
- many trees are evergreen so that plants can photosynthesize right away when temperatures rise
- many trees have needle-like leaves which shape loses less water and sheds snow more easily than broad leaves
- waxy coating on needles prevent evaporation
- needles are dark in color allowing more solar heat to be absorbed
- many trees have branches that droop downward to help shed excess snow to keep the branches from breaking
Abiotic Factors
The abiotic factors of the Taiga biome includes: temperature, sunlight, soil, air, water. The climate is clearly distinguished by long, cold winters and short, cool summers. During the winter season, the temperatures are usually almost below zero. Water in the soil is frozen for 5 to 7 months all winter long. The mean annual precipitation ranges between 370mm and 600mm because the snow builds up all winter long and thaws out during the summer.
The precipitation is pretty much the same all year long but comes in the form of liquid or snow. It is dominated by cold arctic air, winds usually bringing in a bitter cold feeling from the Arctic Circle. As consequence of the earth's tilt, the taiga biome is turned away from the sun during winter seasons. Very little sun radiation reaches the ground, causing shorter days and less light.
Characteristics of of the Abiotic Factors:
Biotic Factors
The biotic factors that make up the taiga includes all the wildlife such as bears, foxes, and deer. All these animals all play major roles in the environment and how the taiga food webs work. More biotic factors includes all of the native plants that inhabits the taiga biome. The fertile soil has high amounts of precipitation making it a perfect place for plants to thrive. However, the taiga is full of huge trees of different species with different lengths that block out the sun. This causes smaller plants closer to the ground to either die or not grow at all.
Characteristics of Biotic Factors:
The precipitation is pretty much the same all year long but comes in the form of liquid or snow. It is dominated by cold arctic air, winds usually bringing in a bitter cold feeling from the Arctic Circle. As consequence of the earth's tilt, the taiga biome is turned away from the sun during winter seasons. Very little sun radiation reaches the ground, causing shorter days and less light.
Characteristics of of the Abiotic Factors:
- Has bitter cold and long winter seasons
- Heavy snowfall during winter
- Formation of permanently frozen ground due to the freezing of the ground moisture because of extremely low temperature
- Short, cool summers with precipitation
- Extreme annual variation of temperature: between 25 degree Celsius during summer, and -40 degree Celsius during winter months
Biotic Factors
The biotic factors that make up the taiga includes all the wildlife such as bears, foxes, and deer. All these animals all play major roles in the environment and how the taiga food webs work. More biotic factors includes all of the native plants that inhabits the taiga biome. The fertile soil has high amounts of precipitation making it a perfect place for plants to thrive. However, the taiga is full of huge trees of different species with different lengths that block out the sun. This causes smaller plants closer to the ground to either die or not grow at all.
Characteristics of Biotic Factors:
- Black Bear
- Bald Eagle
- River Otter
- Wolverine
- Snowshoe Rabbit
- Red Fox
- Balsam Fir
- Eastern Red Cedar
- White Spruce
- Larches
- Pines
- White Poplar
- Siberian Spruce
Recreational Activities
Canoeing on a Wilderness Lake
Take a tandem canoe on Lake Jämäsjärv to go explore the wild, untouched woods of the taiga biome. Before going out on to the lake, instructors will help you with safety and paddling to techniques by the guide assigned to you. It is only three miles of paddling but there will be breaks in tiny fishermen cabins already set up.
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Brown Bear Watching
Meet the Brown Bear in it's natural environment
for photography opportunities and experience are animals such as the wolverine and the wild deer. This is perfectly safe as you will be given a guide who will teach proper safety techniques. |
Dragnet and Shore Fishing
On Lake Lammasjärvi, you will be experiencing dagnet and shore fishing up close and personal.
Your assigned guide will go through the phases of dragnet fishing with you. |
Points of Interest
Adjacent Biomes
Warnings to the Taiga Biome
Impact of Climate Change on the Taiga
Climate change would impact the Taiga monumentally. The taiga is composed of six or seven months of winter and six or five months of summer. If there were to be a climate change, even a slow one over a period of years, the animals that have already adapted to the weather and conditions wouldn't be able to survive. The wood bison could die of heat exhaustion because their furs are still thick from winter. And birds such as the Siberian cranes would hardly be able to survive during the winter months that were extended and colder due to global warming.
Endangered Species
Animals such as beavers, wood bisons, Siberian Cranes, and the Siberian Tiger are in danger of all dying off or being killed. Many of these animals were targeted many years ago, tracing back to the 1800’s just for their furs and such. It has taken a while, having to endure the cold winter months, to try to come back from that near extinction. Sometimes these animals are still shot by careless hunters.Today, limits have been put on trapping beavers and boundaries.
Threats
The main threats to the Taiga biome are human and environmental. Humans are the cause of much of the pollution. An example of this is an oil spill, causing a drop in animal life. But perhaps the biggest threat is exploration and development of trying to find more oil and natural gas reserves. This is such a problem because of all the equipment and chemicals that will be introduced to the area. Another threat is global warming. As the planet warms, the balance of different types of trees will be thrown off. Maybe completely replacing each other entirely. Humans also cut down trees for wood in the taiga, but if done humans gather too much, it can be extremely harmful to the taiga. Deforestation is also one of the biggest threats to the taiga.
Weather
The taiga climate, for the most part, is dominated by cold arctic air. Exceptionally cold winds bring bitterly cold air from the Arctic Circle: the temperatures fall even more on clear nights when there is no cloud cover. Because of earth's tilt, the taiga is turned away from the sun in the winter. Less of the sun's radiation reaches the ground to warm it up. The taiga is categorized in the Köppen's Dfc climate category. During the winter season the temperatures are almost below freezing. The summers are usually short with a rainy and cool climate. However, fall is the shortest season for the taiga biome.
The lowest and highest temperatures that occur for taiga are as such:
The temperature range of the taiga biome is -65° F to 70°F (-54 to 21° C). Half of the year, the average temperature is below freezing. In the winter the average air temperature is warmer than the tundra, which lies north of the taiga.
Its climate has an average annual rainfall of 12 - 33 inches (30 - 84 cm), which mostly falls in the summer as rain.
The lowest and highest temperatures that occur for taiga are as such:
- Winter's LOWEST temperature in taiga is -65°F.
- Winter's HIGHEST temperature is 30° F.
- Summer's LOWEST temperature is 30° F.
- Summer's HIGHEST temperature is 70
The temperature range of the taiga biome is -65° F to 70°F (-54 to 21° C). Half of the year, the average temperature is below freezing. In the winter the average air temperature is warmer than the tundra, which lies north of the taiga.
Its climate has an average annual rainfall of 12 - 33 inches (30 - 84 cm), which mostly falls in the summer as rain.
Camping/Survival GearTo survive the harsh and cold climate of the Taiga biome you will need:
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Why is the Taiga Biome so Important?
The taiga helps the environment and humanity in many ways. This biome filters millions of liters of water every single day. The massive number of trees of different species in the taiga biome removes carbon dioxide and converts it into oxygen. This biome also gives plenty of homes for the many animals that inhabits it. Apart from it being a home to several different types of plants and animals, it also provides a large amount of freshwater to the world's population.