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Biome Presentation

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Title: Biome Presentation


1
Biome Presentation
The Taiga Boreal Forests
  • Presented By
  • Ronnie Kurtz, Bohrvon Liu, Aveek Sarker

2
Physical Characteristics
  • Boreal forest refers to southern part of biome
  • Taiga refers to edge of boreal forest where
    forest gradually gives way to tundra
  • Stretches in a band around the world between 45
    and 65 North

3
Physical Characteristics
  • Worlds largest terrestrial biome
  • Characterized by coniferous forests
  • Forests grow slowly
  • Tolerate weathered, nutrient poor soil
  • High bird/mammal diversity
  • Dominant trees pines, hemlocks, spruce, cedar,
    fir
  • Extreme cold and short summers

4
Climate Temperature
  • Dominated by cold arctic air brought by winds
    from Arctic circle
  • Because of earth's tilt, the taiga is turned away
    from the sun in the winter.
  • Less of the sun's radiation reaches the ground to
    provide heat

5
Climate Temperature
  • Harsh continental climate with very large
    temperature range between winter and summer
  • Winter lasts 5-6 months with temperatures varying
    from -50 C to 30 C (-58F to 86F)
  • Average winter temperature is 26F
  • Eight or more months of temperatures average
    below 10 C (50F)

6
Climate Temperature
  • Summers are short and generally mild, rainy,
    humid, and short
  • Temperatures during the summer range from 30 F
    to 70 F
  • Average summer temperature is 50F

7
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8
Rainfall
  • Relatively low precipitation throughout the year
    ranging from 200-750mm annually
  • Average precipitation during the summer is 10-20
    inches (250-500mm) and is mostly rain
  • Average precipitation during the winter is 20-30
    inches (500-750mm) and is mostly snow

9
Types of Organisms Adaptations
  • Snowshoe Rabbit
  • Lives in forest areas where the ground is covered
    with undergrowth in the higher parts of North
    America.
  • Has large rear feet and the toes can spread out
    to act like snowshoes
  • Their feet also have fur on the bottom, which
    protects them from the cold and gives them
    traction in the snow
  • In the summer its fur is rusty, grayish brown but
    is turns pure white in the winter helping it
    avoid predators

10
Types of Organisms Adaptations
  • Gray Wolf
  • Lives in the Siberian Taiga
  • Coats are made up of wooly fur to provide
    insulation and long guard hairs to keep out
    moisture.
  • Large paws have fleshy pads and claws for
    traction and can spread to provide better support
    in snow
  • Have a sense of hearing twenty times sharper than
    a human's
  • Reflective retina, called a tapetum that enhances
    their night vision

11
Types of Organisms Adaptations
  • Wolverine
  • The wolverine is powerfully built and is well
    adapted to living in the cold.
  • Has very strong jaws that can bite through frozen
    meat and bone.
  • Its paws are very large with long claws.
  • The wolverine's fur is thick and a glossy dark
    brown

12
Types of Organisms Adaptations
  • Black Spruce
  • Can grow to be twenty-five meters tall
  • Grows many pinecones
  • Enjoys poorly drained soil
  • Able to survive in the colder climates because of
    its layered twigs, waxy pine needles, and rough
    bark

13
Types of Organisms Adaptations
  • Siberian Spruce
  • Conical shape promotes shedding of snow and
    prevents loss of branches.
  • Narrowness of the needles reduce surface area
    through which water may be lost
  • Thick waxy coating that is water proof and
    protects the needles from drying winds.
  • Dark green color of the needles helps the foliage
    absorb maximum heat from the sun and begin
    photosynthesis sooner

14
Types of Organisms Adaptations
  • Other Animals/Birds- Black Bear, Bald Eagle,
    Bobcat, Lynx, Grizzly Bear, Owl, Red Fox, Otter
  • Other Plants- Balsam Fir, Douglas Fir, Red Cedar,
    Jack Pine, White Fir, White Poplar, White Spruce

15
Food Chain- Taiga
  • Coyote -gt Moose -gt Conifer Trees

16
Food Chain- Taiga
  • Red Tailed Hawk -gt Snowshoe Hare -gt White Spruce

17
Food Chain- Boreal Forest
  • Great Horned Owl -gt Spruce Grouse -gt Bog Birch

18
Food Chain- Boreal Forest
  • Canadian Lynx -gt Ground Squirrel -gt Grasses

19
Keystone Species-Taiga
  • Siberian Tiger
  • Top of food chain, hunts deer and boar
  • Without, deer and boar become slow, small, and
    overpopulated, and damaging
  • Have potential to destroy habitat, overgrazing
    areas and trampling and dangerously compacting
    soil

20
Indicator Species- Taiga
  • Siberian Tiger
  • Typically poached, so presence is indicator of
    health in the face of human activity
  • As they are endangered, also an indicator of
    overall special diversity and prominence in biome

21
Keystone Species-Boreal Forest
  • Scots Pine
  • Lichens and mosses, grow on the trees themselves.
  • Red squirrels, mice and voles live on pine seeds
    and deer feed on pine seedlings and saplings
  • The trees also attract various insects that are
    eaten by birds
  • Scots pine plays an important ecological role
    even when it is dead a decaying Scots Pine
    provides habitat for 15 times more beetle species
    than a living tree.

22
Indicator Species- Boreal Forest
  • Red Tailed Hawk
  • At top of food chain, depends on health and
    prominence of organisms below
  • Presence is good indicator of level of toxins
    introduced in environment, as toxins tend to get
    more concentrated in upper levels of biome

23
Human Impact- Taiga
  • Unsustainable hunting of animals such as tiger
  • Depreciating special diversity and harming
    overall health of environment
  • Introduction of hydroelectricity plants, leading
    to loss of terrestrial habitats, wildlife and
    habitat disturbances, shoreline erosion, altered
    aquatic regimes and increased mercury, carbon
    dioxide and methane releases from flooding

24
Human Impact- Boreal Forest
  • Clear-cutting of forests for uses such as toilet
    paper and copy paper
  • Less than 8 is protected by governments, opening
    rest to be used at will
  • Destroys environments and habitats, depreciating
    presence of organisms and livelihood of biome
  • Exploitation of fossil fuels, such as gas and
    oil, are damaging environment
  • Leads to air pollution, summarily contributing to
    considerable damage to both species and the soil
    that fuels the ecosystem

25
Human Impact- Boreal Forest
  • High demand for fossil fuels are pushing
    exploration and development into areas once
    thought impossible to exploit
  • As the planet warms the southern reaches of the
    boreal forest will become warm enough for
    deciduous trees to outcompete the conifers and
    replace them
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