It’s the world’s largest biome! Taiga Biome It’s the world’s largest biome!

Think, Pair, Share What do you think of when hear coniferous forest? Where would the location be? What might the climate be like?

Where’s the Taiga Biome located?

General Climate The taiga is a wet subarctic forest that begins where the Tundra ends. The taiga climate is dominated by cold arctic air. Because of earth's tilt, the taiga is turned away from the sun in the winter. Therefore, less of the sun's radiation reaches the ground to warm it up. Thin layer of soil – Due to the cold, it takes a lot of time for decomposers to put nutrients into the soil.

General Climate The taiga climate has an average annual rainfall of 12 - 30 inches. The type of precipitation that falls in the taiga climate are rain in summer and mostly snow in winter. Winter's LOW is -65°F. Winter's HIGH is 30° F. Summer's LOW is 30° F. Summer's HIGH is 70° F.

The forests of the taiga are coniferous, dominated by larch, spruce, fir, and pine. Evergreen species in the taiga (spruce, fir, and pine) have a number of adaptations specifically for survival in harsh taiga winters. Jack Pines have cones which only open to release their seed after a fire, dispersing their seeds onto the newly cleared ground.

Plants in the Taiga White Poplar Eastern Red Cedar Jack Pine White Spruce Black Spruce

Think, Pair, Share Now that you have seen some plants in the taiga, what type of animals do you think could be found there?

Animals in the Taiga Snowshoe Hare River Otter Gray Wolf Bald Eagle Red-Tailed Hawk Great Gray Owl Lake Whitefish Northern Pike Lake Trout Round Whitefish

Adaptations Animal adaptations: Most animals migrate to warmer climates once the cold weather climates set in. Some animals have adapted by hibernating when temperatures drop. Other animals have adapted by producing a layer of insulating feathers or fur to protect them from the cold. Plant Adaptations: Evergreens use a wide variety of physical adaptations. Some of these adaptations include their shape, leaf type, root system, and color. Lichens and mosses are present, but most plants are coniferous trees like Pine, White Spruce, Hemlock, and Douglas fir. There are not a lot of species of plants in the taiga because of the harsh conditions.

Some types of adaptations in the animals are migration, heavier coats of fur, and some change color, such as the snow-shoe rabbit. Mice and moles live in tunnels under the snow. Some animals that live in the taiga are bears, badger, beavers, reindeer, foxes, wolverine and squirrels. Many birds migrate to the taiga during the spring because there are so many insects to feed on after the snow melts.

Dominant Animals Lynx---Colored Fox---Great Grey Owl---Red-Tailed Hawk---Least Weasel.