The Biome Taiga

General Information Temperature Precipitation Solar Insolation Between -65° and 70°F For half of the year, the average temperature is below freezing. Precipitation The average precipitation per year is about 40 inches. Forms of precipitation are rain, snow and dew. Most of the precipitation in the Taiga falls as rain in the summer. Solar Insolation The main seasons in the taiga are winter and summer. Winter lasts up to six months. Short summers (50 to 100 frost-free days) are characteristic. Fall is the shortest season. Limiting Factors The main limiting factors in the Taiga are the extreme cold, heavy snow fall and food shortage.

Species Diversity Plants Animals Not a lot of species of plants because of the harsh conditions and the extremely cold winters. Some lichens and mosses. Most plants are coniferous trees like pine, white spruce, hemlock and douglas fir. The taiga also contains some deciduous trees like birch, aspen and alder. Animals Animals of the taiga tend to be predators like the lynx, wolverine, bobcat, mink and ermine. They hunt herbivores like snowshoe rabbits and red squirrels. Red deer, elk, and moose can be found in regions of the taiga where more deciduous trees grow. Many insect eating birds come to the taiga to breed. Seed eaters like finches and sparrows, and omnivorous birds like crows stay all year long.

Taiga Food Chain Sun Bobcat eats squirrel Photosynthesis Squirrel eats cone Red Squirrel Conifer Cones Bobcat

Interesting Facts Adaptations Decomposition Most evergreens have a cascading cone shape. This allows snow to roll off of its branches. If the branches held more snow it would increase the chance of them breaking during a heavy storm. Needles are adapted to the taiga environment. They lose less water and shed snow more easily than broad leaves Some animals have structural adaptations that help them survive in the taiga. The Canadian lynx's wide paws work like snowshoes.  Grizzly bears avoid the coldest weather by going into their dens in the fall and staying there until the early spring. Decomposition Because of cold temperatures decomposition is slow in the taiga. Since decomposition is slow, the soil is thin and lacking in nutrients. Trees grow taller where warmer temperatures allow for faster decomposition or where streams and rivers carry nutrients from higher ground.