Page 24 - Microsoft Word - geo class task.docx
P. 24
Charlotte Johnson TAIGA-riffic!
TAIGA
What is taiga?
A biome characterised by coniferous forest with
mostly pines and spruches.
Often situated around Alaska, Canada
Scandinavia Russia and China
v Only found in the northern hemisphere
because there is not enough land mass in the
southern hemisphere to create a taiga
climate there
Describe the functioning of the ecosystems (animals,
plants and biophysical interactions)
ATMOSPHERE à
l Cold and Ridged winds
l Due to the earth’s tilt, taiga is turned away from the sun in winter à less of the sun’s radiation
reaches the ground to warm it up
l Winter can last for 6-7 months à layer of permafrost in winter can occur (soil or rock that is frozen for
more than 2 consecutive years)
l Summer: rainy and hot and short season
HYDROSPHERE à
l Lakes, streams and ponds
l Water that comes from glaciers
BIOSPHERE à
l Abiotic features à large amounts of precipitation in the
Taiga; soil is very fertile; light amounts of sunlight ever
reach the trees
l Biotic Features à Black bears, deer and foxes + lynx
(threats to deer and foxes and rabbits)
l Food chain: the taiga food chain generally consists of the
lynx and the wolf being predators as they hunt the mostly
herbivorous animals. Produces are berries and trees
East Siberian Taiga: