Taiga

Taiga

By: Haley Flournoy & Kendrick Ross

Due: Wednesday May 83rd

Description of TaigaA region of evergreen,

coniferous forest below the arctic and subarctic

tundra regions.

LocationIt is located between 50 degrees latitude north and the Arctic circle and also is near the top of the world.

Climate• Winter's LOWEST temperature

in taiga is -65°F. • Winter's HIGHEST

temperature is 30° F. • Summer's LOWEST

temperature is 30° F.• Summer's HIGHEST

temperature is 70° F. • average annual rainfall of 12 -

33 inches (30 - 84 cm).

Plants• Black Spruce-is a tall tree. It can grow

to be twenty-five meters tall. As the tree gets older the crown of the tree gets more and more like a spike.

• Balsam Fir- a small to medium sized native evergreen tree. It can grow to be 40 to 80 feet tall. The Balsam fir has a wide base and a narrow top.

• Jack pine- usually grows to be twenty-seven meters tall and sixteen and thirty-two centimeter diameter around the trunk. As it grows it gets rounder and rounder around the crown area.

• White Fir- 60-100 feet tall and can live up to 300 years making it a very large forest tree.

• White Poplar- do not live very long. It is illegal to plant poplars along streets in some cities because they clog underground drainpipes and sewers.

Plant Adaptation

• Evergreens-  They are always--or ever green. Because they don't drop their leaves when temperatures cool. They don't have to regrow them in the spring. Some of these adaptations include their shape, leaf type, root system, and color. Their name, evergreen, describes an important adaptation.

Animals• Eurasian Lynx- a small cat and the have thick

fur that is brown, white, and offers some black markings.

• Black Bears-  It consumes a variety of different foods including twigs, leaves, and plants. Only about ¼ of what they eat is in the form of small prey and left over carcasses.

• Wolverines- It looks similar to a small bear so it is often mistaken for one. They can weigh from 24 to70 pounds and be about 30 inches tall. They have a tail that is10 inches long.

• Red Foxes-It can grow up to 2 1/2 feet long, 15 to 16 inches tall at the shoulders, and weigh 10 to 12 pounds.

• Red Squirrels- Squirrels hoard a much wider Variety of food items than most other taiga animals.

Endangered Species• Siberian Tiger-they are not

able to reproduce so they are disappearing. They are endangered because of Habitat loss, pollution, logging, and hunting are the main reasons for their endangerment. The Global impact is Orders prohibiting logging, mining, and oil and gas production in the region have been issued to protect the endangered animals.

Food Chain

Environmental Issue•  It is deforestation. Ever since agriculture began around

11,000 years ago, people have been clearing forests for farms. Forest fires, industrial pollution, and paper use have demolished most of the population of trees in our world. This decreases the amount of oxygen in the air through photosynthesis, and forest areas decrease. Less carbon dioxide is taken up and more is released into the air.

Fun Facts• Taiga has very long and cold winters. • They summers are short and they are cool in

temperature.• A snowshoe hare’s pale winter coloration

provides camouflage against the snowy backdrop.

Sources• http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/taiga_climate_page.htm• http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/taiga/where.htm• http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/taiga_plant_page.htm• http://

www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/taigap.html• http://bioexpedition.com/taiga-biome/• http://bioexpedition.com/wolverine/• http://bioexpedition.com/american-black-bear/• http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/red_fox.htm• http://bioexpedition.com/taiga-biome/• http://www.animalport.com/endangered-animals/taiga.html • http://www2.needham.k12.ma.us/nhs/cur/Bio96_97/P5/

Taiga/Biome-Taiga.html• A book: biomes of the earth; taiga