1. The Taiga Brenda Yuan Prajna Madhusudhan Stephanie Harris Sanjay Patel
Cathy Davanzo

2. The Taiga Biome Also known as a coniferous forest or boreal forest
Largest terrestrial biome
A subarctic, evergreen coniferous forest of northern Eurasia located just south of the tundra and dominated by firs and spruces.
Location: Northern portions of North America, Europe, Asia, extending southward at high elevations

3. Climate
The taiga climate is cold arctic air. Cold winds bring in cold air from the Arctic Circle.
Because of earth's tilt, the taiga is turned away from the sun in the winter.
Seasonal climate
Long winter (6-7 months)
Summer is rainy, hot and short
Fall is the shortest season. Spring brings flowers and the frozen ponds melt.

4. Climate continued Lowest temperature is -65°F in the winter
Highest temperature is 70° F in the summer.
The taiga's average annual rainfall of inches ( cm). Most of it falls in the summer as rain

5. Soil Type Characterized as young and poor in nutrients
Caused by the cold, which slows the development of soil and plants' ability to use its nutrients.
Much humus and litter → fallen leaves and moss remain on the ground for a long time which limits their contribution to the soil
Soils acidic → acids from pine needles also strains the soil from having more nutrients. However, in clearings in the forest and in areas with more trees there are more herbs and berries growing.

6. Common Vegetation Coniferous trees Deciduous tress/shrubs Spruce Alder
Fir
Birch
Pine
Aspen
Larch
Tamarack
Poor understory

7. Adaptations/Features of Plants
Conical shape
Promotes shedding of snow and prevents loss of branches
Needle-like leaves
Reduces surface area through which water can be lost
Have thick, waxy coating– cuticle– again to prevent water loss
Evergreen– retention of foliage
Allows plant to photosynthesize as soon as sunlight is available, rather than waiting to grow leaves
Dark color
Helps the plants to absorb maximum sunlight

8. Animal Life
There are 85 species of mammals, 120 species of fish, and 32,000 species of insects
Some animals include: mule, deer, moose, elk, mice, hares, squirrels, lynx, bears, foxes, fishers, marten, birds
Taiga has cold summers and warm winters, which of course is a challenging biome for reptiles and amphibians.

9. Animal Life Home to many large herbivorous mammals
Animals eat heavily during summer to gain fat for winter and have heavy layers of fur to insulate their bodies.
Also fur is dark in the winter and light in the summer which can help protect against predators (snowshoe hare)

10. How people have adapted to living/working in the taiga
Very few people live in the taiga because of its cold climate
Most of the taiga is unpopulated, though there are a few large cities in the southern parts such as Moscow or Toronto

11. How people have adapted to living/working in the taiga continued
Humans have adapted to working in the taiga by using the abundant resources it produces
Logging, mining, and hydroelectric development (a form of renewable energy where electrical power is produced by flowing/falling water)
These activities negatively impact the biome
Most of logging is done by clear-cutting → regrowth of mature forests takes a long time because of climate and soil
Hydroelectricity seems beneficial, modifies and disrupts the environment

12. Opportunities Limitations Abundance of empty land
Lots of resources to use and exploit.
Can have peace and solitude and be by yourself
Few cities or other forms of civilization
Large amounts of snow and extreme weather
Difficult for plants to grow because of the thin and nutrient-poor soil

13. You should move to the Taiga because…
In the summer month’s since ground is moist plant growth can be very rapid in this short time of 3-4 months.
Lots of trees and other resources
If you want you can live alone and have peace and solitude
However, there are also a few large cities if you prefer a more metropolitan lifestyle

14. Before moving, please consider…
Harsh weather in the Taiga
Huge range of temperatures, from very cold for a long period of time to hot temperatures.
Steady amounts of precipitation (in small amounts) throughout the year but in the winter it is only snow.
Due to the permafrost, you cannot grow many types of crops because of the frozen soil

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