The Taiga Biome:
The Taiga Biome is a coniferous forest. It is also the largest biome in the world! Some of the taiga biomes are Yellowstone National Park, in Russia, notably in Siberia, and in Canada and Alaska! For example in California, the Sequoia National Park. Also covers 11% of the Earth.
Meteorology:
The climate in the Taiga is very cold. It has has average annual temperatures that range from about 5 degrees Celsius to -5 degrees Celsius. Precipitation can vary from about 20 cm per year to over 200 cm. Though much of the precipitation is in the form of snow. The winters are extremely cold and long and the summers are cool and short. You need to wear a heavy jacket, warm pants, and boots if it's winter. You still need to dress warm even if it's summer.
Plant Life:
The plant growth season is rather short and usually less than three months! Even so, these seasons can end up having an EXPLOSIVE plant growth during the summer. During the short summers the days are very long, so when the snow that fell during the winter begins to melt it doesn't evaporate. Why? Well because the summers are still pretty cold, the water created from the snow doesn't really evaporate but just seeps into the soil.
There is a great variation of plant species found the Taiga Biomes. Obviously the coniferous trees are the dominant plant form. The trees have adapted to the cold weather in snow because of their needles. The needles on these trees can survive even through the tough winters.
Giant Sequoia trees are probably the most amazing trees on the planet and you can find them in the Taiga. They are absolutely HUMONGOUS in both height and width. They stand about 275 feet tall and are more than 100 feet wide! They weigh about 2.7 MILLION pounds! What's even crazier is that these trees can be over 2100 years old!!
Other plants found in the Taiga Biomes are:
There is a great variation of plant species found the Taiga Biomes. Obviously the coniferous trees are the dominant plant form. The trees have adapted to the cold weather in snow because of their needles. The needles on these trees can survive even through the tough winters.
Giant Sequoia trees are probably the most amazing trees on the planet and you can find them in the Taiga. They are absolutely HUMONGOUS in both height and width. They stand about 275 feet tall and are more than 100 feet wide! They weigh about 2.7 MILLION pounds! What's even crazier is that these trees can be over 2100 years old!!
Other plants found in the Taiga Biomes are:
- Various mosses
- Giant Sequoia
- Several types of Lichen
Animal Life:
There are lots of different animals in the Taiga. There are lots of types of cats, ranging from a Siberian Tiger to a Lynx to a Bobcat. Some animals you might see are:
Lifestyles: Many of the animals coats change color from winter to summer. Small animals like rabbits and foxes and squirrels use this camouflage to avoid predators. Their coats change to white to blend in with the snow in the winter. Larger predators like tigers,lynx, wolves change color to blend in to catch prey. All the animals' coats grow thicker to keep the cold away. Some animals like wolves, moose, deer, or caribou live in groups and are social. Others like the lynx or fox live alone.
- Snowshoe hare
- Porcupine
- Elk and Moose
- Wolves
- Large cats (tigers, bobcats, lynx, etc.)
- Bald Eagle
- Various Foxes
- Various Owls
- Multiple species of deer (Reindeer and White-tailed deer)
- Wolverine
Lifestyles: Many of the animals coats change color from winter to summer. Small animals like rabbits and foxes and squirrels use this camouflage to avoid predators. Their coats change to white to blend in with the snow in the winter. Larger predators like tigers,lynx, wolves change color to blend in to catch prey. All the animals' coats grow thicker to keep the cold away. Some animals like wolves, moose, deer, or caribou live in groups and are social. Others like the lynx or fox live alone.
Geography:
Some things you can do in the taiga would include hiking with beautiful views, wildlife watches, rock climbing, and skiing. There are quite a few mountains, trees, and dense forests. There's also the national parks that are available to visit like Sequoia and Yellowstone National Parks. With plenty of picnic grounds, the national parks can make it a good day for a picnic. If you get hungry and don't want to pack a lunch there are always the restaurants in the area that are nice. Some nice places to go are:
- Sequoia National Park
- Kuhmo Arts Centre, Kuhmo
- Boreal Wildlife Centre, Kuhmo
- Martinselkonen Wilds Centre, Suomussalmi
- Kalevala Spirit, Kuhmo
- Articmedia day tours, Kuhmo
Work Cited:
http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes.html
http://mbgnet.mobot.org/sets/
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/taiga.htm
www.visitsequoia.com/giant-sequoia-trees.aspx
http://mbgnet.mobot.org/sets/
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/taiga.htm
www.visitsequoia.com/giant-sequoia-trees.aspx