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Climate And Animals Of Taiga With Characteristics And Examples

We express that what is the climate and animals of Taiga, also called “boreal forest”, its characteristics, flora, fauna and various examples.

  1. What is the taiga?

The taiga or boreal forest is one of the biomes in which the largest forest mass on the planet resides , composed almost entirely of coniferous forests . Its name comes from the Russian тайҕа, which means “land of small sticks.”

Taigas are located in the cold northern regions of the northern hemisphere , in the immediate vicinity of the Arctic circle, in northern Russia (including Siberia), Europe, Canada and Alaska (USA), constituting an intermediate biome between the steppe and the tundra . There are no taigas in the southern hemisphere, but its equivalent would be the Magellan subpolar forest.

This is a very important biome for oxygenation and carbon fixation planet (i.e., cooling), since the vast expanses of taiga forests absorb large amounts of CO 2 , one of the main greenhouse greenhouse .

  1. Taiga characteristics

Climate And Animals Of Taiga: taiga biome forest characteristics lung greenhouse wood
In addition to being a source of wood, the taiga forest is one of the lungs of the world.

The origin of this biome dates back to the last portion of the Pleistocene (23,000 to 16,500 years ago) , at the end of the last Ice Age. In a much colder world, their plant species were widely distributed in the world, but they were declining to the margin they occupy today, as the glaciers began their withdrawal 18,000 years ago.

The taiga is one of the lungs of the planet, along with the tropical rain forests. But unlike these, it does not have a great plant and animal biodiversity , but it is an example of life adapted to a cold, dry and hostile climate, a prelude to the icy desert of the polar regions. However, it is an important source of wood for industrial use .

  1. Taiga Climate

taiga biome forest weather winter snow ice
The species that live in the taiga are adapted to very cold winters.

The climate of the taiga has an average temperature of 19 ° C in summer, and a minimum of -30 ° C in winter . That is, it is an icy climate in which permafrost predominates. Precipitation averages 450mm annually .

For these reasons, the species that live in these regions are adapted to cold and drought. For example, the life of the plants has a window of optimal conditions of just four months.

  1. Taiga Flora

taiga biome forest conifera thorns flora
The needle-shaped leaves of the conifers allow photosynthesis without loss of water.

The dominant vegetation in the taiga are conifers , sometimes of the same type, forming long stretches of forest. Its needle-shaped leaves deal well with freezing temperatures , which lose little water . In addition, being evergreen (they do not lose the leaves in autumn), they can make photosynthesis continuously and immediately as soon as the Sun appears.

Its heights are around 40 meters, with pyramid cup . Due to its dense branches, there is little impact of sunlight on the undergrowth and little life around it, other than ferns, lichens and mosses. In general, the taiga is a biome of low plant biodiversity .

However, in the southernmost regions, where the climate becomes more benevolent, it is usual for deciduous trees of different nature (poplars, birches, willows, etc.) to form mixed forests .

  1. Taiga fauna

Climate And Animals Of Taiga: taiga biome forest wildlife bear
The fauna of the taiga is adapted to the cold thanks to its abundant fur.

Similar to the flora, the taiga fauna is little varied and not abundant. It is composed almost entirely of species adapted to the cold climate, with abundant fur , such as foxes, elk, minks, lynx, weasels and the maximum predators of the ecoregion, bears.

Small rodents abound , such as mice, and rabbits or hares, as well as several species of birds. During the summer the weather improves a lot and then insects and excavating worms appear.

  1. Examples of taiga

taiga biome forest example ural mountains russia
A large area of ​​the Ural mountains, in Russia, is covered by the taiga.

The main taigas of the planet are:

  • Forests of Slave-Muskwa Lake in Canada.
  • Canadian Uruguayan boreal forests, in Canada.
  • Taiga of the Ural mountains, in Russia.
  • Taiga of Eastern Siberia, in Russia.
  • Taiga and prairies of Kamchatka, in Russia.
  1. Taiga and Tundra

taiga biome forest tundra
The taiga usually precedes the tundra, but they are two very different biomes.

The taiga usually geographically precedes the tundra , which is what is known to the biographical regions near the poles. There the vegetation decreases in size due to the arid soil conditions (usually permafrost) and the very low rainfall.

The tundra is a form of plain without trees , of soils covered with mosses and lichens with abundant peat bogs. They are prevalent in the southern extremes of Chile and Argentina, near the Antarctic circle, as well as the South Georgia, Auckland and Kerguelen islands, and in the few areas of Antarctica that are not covered by ice.

They can also be found in the northern hemisphere, in the coastal extremes of northern Russia, Canada, Alaska and the European Arctic coast, as well as southern Greenland.

There are also three types of tundra, depending on their geographical location:

  • Alpine : Typical of mountainous regions.
  • Arctic : Typical of the Arctic region, more abundant in water and therefore in plant life.
  • Antarctica : Typical of Antarctica, much drier and with much less biodiversity.

Taiga Ecoregions

Taiga/Palearctic Boreal Forests

Taiga ecoregions

Taiga/Nearctic Boreal Forests

Taiga ecoregions

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