THE TAIGA

LOCATION

ABIOTIC FACTORS

• Soil (podzol): shallow, nutrient poor, ashy, acidic
• Permafrost or bedrock under soil means short roots
• Long winters, short summers
• Temperatures warm to below freezing, average of -5°C to 5°C
• Little precipitation (200-750mm of rain per year)

CLIMATE

DOMINANT PLANT LIFE

• Coniferous trees
• Evergreen spruce trees
• Fir trees (ie Canadian Basalm Fir)
• Mainly pine trees
• Needles to prevent evaporation

DOMINANT ANIMAL LIFE

• Relatively low in animal diversity
• Large predators include black and brown bears, foxes
• Small predators such as weasel/ermine family
• Herbivores: reindeer, elk, rabbits
• Foundational species include beavers

HUMAN RESOURCE USE

• Hunting: foxes, bears, beavers valued for fur
• Logging: worst direct human impact
• Clearcutting destroys habitats for plants and animals
• Clearcutting increases risk of flooding and erosion

ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE

• Harmed by climate change
• Partial thawing of permafrost causes flooding
• Warming changes animal habitats
• Invasive species able to replace native species

PROTECTION AND REMEDIATION

• Reforestation: management of logging, replanting trees
• Reducing pollution that causes acid rain
• Legislation restricting hunting of predator species
• Keeping invasive species out of native habitats

SOURCES

• http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/taiga/?ar_a=...
• https://php.radford.edu/~swoodwar/biomes/?page_id=92
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/ecosystems/coniferous_w...
• http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/171390/
• http://www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/taiga/taiga.shtml

SOURCES

• http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/taiga_plant_page.htm
• http://www.geography.learnontheinternet.co.uk/topics/taiga.html