The Taiga/Boreal Forests cover the Northern Hemisphere, covering most of inland Canada, Alaska, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Russia and Northern Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Japan.
Wildlife-Animals
Though it seems quite un-habituated in the harsh winters it home many species of animals
- In the summer, boreal forests like Canadian's inhabit - 85 species of mammals - General animals include shrews, moose, elk, bison, snowshoe hares, beavers, foxes, black bears, lynx, otters, cougars, etc. -130 species of fish -300 species of birds -The great grey owl (the largest owl in North America) lives her all year round - Summer birds are cuckoos, swallows, the great blue heron, bald eagles, golden eagles, hawks, etc. - 32 000 species of insects
In the winter most animals hibernate, burrow and migrate leaving only a few species behind out in the cold. About 30 out of the 300 bird species stay in the winter, these include Chickadees, great-horned owls, jays, woodpeckers etc.
Endangered species that live in the Taiga/Boreal forest include: The whooping crane, peregrine falcon, woodland caribou(Only in the summer) pine marten, grizzly bear, siberian tiger, and wolverine.
Survival Techniques-Animals
Some animals like the snowshoe hare use camoflage as a survival techniques. During the summer their fur is a speckled brown so that they can blend into the soil. During the winter they are white so that they can blend in with the snow. They also have long wide paws which helps them hop in the snow easier, they work almost like snowshoes.
Some animals like the rodents or the grizzly bear aren't built for living out in the cold and snow. These animals resort to binging on food in the fall and burrowing like rodents and/or hibernating, like a grizzly bear.
Lastly the some animals like the duck or caribou just migrate and completely avoid the cold.
Survival Techniques-Plants
The tree's in the Taiga/Boreal Forest are mostly coniferous because conifer trees like the pine trees are constructed ideally for the cold. The thin wax coated needles and cone shaped structure allow snow to fall off easily and improves the retaining of heat and water. These survival techniques make conifer trees able to photosynthesis in colder weather conditions and longer than broad-leaf trees.
The Taiga/Boreal Forest
Did you know: The word Boreal comes from the word Boreas which is the Greek god of the North Wind. And Taiga, a Russian word, is considered the more barren Northern locations of the Boreal Forests.
- Covers 29% of the world's forest cover - Boreal forests contain so much carbon its possibly more than temperate and tropical forests combined - Some areas of Boreal Forests contain permafrost - Soils are quite acidic due to fallen pine needles and cold temperatures not allowing vegetation to decompose creating low nutrients - Canada's Taiga/Boreal forests contain the largest area of wetlands of any ecosystem in the world
- The cold season lasts from October to May (6-9 months) - During this season temperatures range from -34C to -54C - During the short summers temperatures range from -7C to 21C - Sometimes during the summer temperatures can go over 27C - The annual Precipitation, mostly snow, is 40-100 cm
- Forest fire breakout easily in Boreal Forests because of the pine needles and branches - These fires help the reproductive cycle of tree because the break down cones and plant the seeds within, creating regeneration
The BOreal Forest
Wildlife-PLants
- Most of the trees that grow in Boreal forest are Coniferous - This forest contain 20 different species of Coniferous trees which include pine, evergreen, balsam fir, spruce, larch, tamarack, etc. - The small portion of deciduous trees that grow in boreal forests are broadleaf trees or shrubs, such as aspen, poplar, birch, alder, blueberry and willow
Boreal Forests are covered with moss, lichens that have been growing for a hundred years and 5000 species of fungi, which generally grow near or on roots of coniferous trees. The most common types of fungi are the Mycorrhiza who form a mutualistic relationship with a trees roots for example the morchella or the true moral.