The Taiga Biome

1. The Taiga Biome Shelby Carr, Audrey Key, and Cody Santora 2nd Block Honors Biology Ms.Cox

2. What is the Taiga Biome? • The taiga is located in Canada, Northern Europe, and Asia. • The taiga full of mainly coniferous forests. • The taiga is very cold in the winter and warm in the summer. • It contains trees such as the black spruce, and animals such as the snowshoe hare.

3. Abiotic factors of the taiga. • The taiga gets between 12 and 33 inches of precipitation each year. • The temperatures vary from -58 degrees to 86 degrees Fahrenheit. • Because the plants are mostly evergreen, the growing season lasts all year.

4. Plants of the taiga. • Balsam Fir- the balsam fir (or Canadian Balsam) is native to Eastern Canada and the Northwestern United States. • Black Spruce- native to North America, Newfoundland, and Alaska (also called Swamp Spruce.) • Douglas Fir- can get 15-25 ft. wide and 40-60 ft. tall. One of the most important lumber trees

5. Plants continued.. • Eastern Red Cedar- Small evergreen that can grow 10-50 ft. tall. Can be found in Nova Scotia to North Florida. • Paper Birch- have very thin bark that peels in horizontal layers. It usually grows in pairs or clusters as seen in the picture. Paper Birch

6. Plants Continued Again… • Jack Pine- can grow to be 55-65 ft. tall with a width of 25 inches and is the smallest of the native pines • Siberian Spruce- coniferous tree that grows needles and pinecones • White Fir- can grow 60-100 ft. tall and can live up to 300 years • White Poplar- or silver poplar do not live very long and are illegal to plant in some cities because they clog sewers and drain pipes • White Spruce- can grow up to 150 ft. and can sometimes be shaped like pyramids

7. Animals of the Taiga • All Taiga animals are adapted for cold weather. • Canadian Lynx-depends on smaller animals such as the snowshoe hare for food and is also an endangered species • Snowshoe Hare- feeds on small nuts out of trees and bushes and changes its fur coat to white in the winter • Black Bear-Feeds on berries and other animals in its environment and also hibernates in the winter

8. Animals continued… 4.Weasels- Small rodents that feed on moles and seeds from plants. 5.Gray Wolf- a carnivore that feeds on deer and elk in large groups. 6.Bobcat- a smaller carnivore that feeds on rabbits, squirrels, and weasels. Bobcat

9. Animals Continued Again… 7.Clams- small animals in rivers that live in shells, usually eaten by river otters. 8. Elklarge herbivores that feed on grasses of the taiga. 9. Long Eared Owl- Carnivorous bird that preys mostly on the smaller animals of the taiga such as weasels and voles. 10. River Otters – another endangered species of the taiga; feeds on clams and other small animals in river environments.

10. And Even More Animals… 11.Vole- small animal similar to the mole eats plants 12. Bald Eagle- carnivorous bird that eats most of the small animals of the taiga. The Bald Eagle

11. Did you know? • The taiga is the largest land biome. • This biome contains only evergreens. • Another name for the taiga is Boreal Forest. • The coniferous trees grow thick bark to protect themselves from wildfires.

12. Did you know?... • The needles in conifer trees actually keep the tree warm. • The taiga was once covered with glaciers that left large gouges that frequently fill with water. • The soil there is low in nutrients, but has a high acidity level. • Most of the animals migrate south for the winter.

13. Did you know?... • The animals that stay in the winter, their fur changes to white. • Some years in the taiga, there is only 12 in. of rain all year.

14. Taiga Pictures