Location
The taiga's is located up north, away from the equator, which makes it cold. The locations include: Canada, Russian Siberia, and the Scandinavian Peninsula.
Climate
The climate of the Taiga is mainly cold, due to the high latitude. This is because the sun cannot hit these parts as well, which means not as much heat is absorbed, making it colder.
Biotic Factors
Native Species
Species Name: Abies balsamea
Common Name: Balsam Fir
Description: "The Balsam Fir is a small to medium sized native evergreen tree. It can grow to be 40 to 80 feet tall. The Balsam fir has a wide base and a narrow top that ends in a slender, spirelike top. The brances grow from the trunk at right angles, with the lower brances spreading and drooping to the ground when the tree grows in the open. In a dense stands, many of the lower branches are dead. It can grow to be a maximum of 200 years old." [38]
Common Name: Balsam Fir
Description: "The Balsam Fir is a small to medium sized native evergreen tree. It can grow to be 40 to 80 feet tall. The Balsam fir has a wide base and a narrow top that ends in a slender, spirelike top. The brances grow from the trunk at right angles, with the lower brances spreading and drooping to the ground when the tree grows in the open. In a dense stands, many of the lower branches are dead. It can grow to be a maximum of 200 years old." [38]
Species Name: Pseudotsuga menziesii
Common Name: Douglas-fir
Description: "Douglas-firs are very big. They can grow from 40 to 60 feet tall and 15 to 25 feet wide. Because of this they are one of the most important lumber trees in the world.The wood is used as lumber, timbers, and plywood. The dense wood is very hard, stiff and durable. Animals forage off the Douglas-fir in the winter or early spring when their other food supplies are covered in snow or haven't come up yet. Mule deer like it more than elk, but it is not an important food for both. Bears often scrape off the bark on young trees and eat the sap layer beneath. The common name of the Douglas-fir is hyphenated because it isn't a true fir. It was named after David Douglas, the Scottish botanist.Like most of its family it has a fine texture and is pyramid shaped. The trunk on older trees are free of branches. They have a short cylindrical crown with a flattened top. Needles are flat with a pointed tip. The top of the needles are bright yellowish-green with a single groove down the center; the bottom of the needles are paler. The needles appear to stand out around the twig." [39]
Common Name: Douglas-fir
Description: "Douglas-firs are very big. They can grow from 40 to 60 feet tall and 15 to 25 feet wide. Because of this they are one of the most important lumber trees in the world.The wood is used as lumber, timbers, and plywood. The dense wood is very hard, stiff and durable. Animals forage off the Douglas-fir in the winter or early spring when their other food supplies are covered in snow or haven't come up yet. Mule deer like it more than elk, but it is not an important food for both. Bears often scrape off the bark on young trees and eat the sap layer beneath. The common name of the Douglas-fir is hyphenated because it isn't a true fir. It was named after David Douglas, the Scottish botanist.Like most of its family it has a fine texture and is pyramid shaped. The trunk on older trees are free of branches. They have a short cylindrical crown with a flattened top. Needles are flat with a pointed tip. The top of the needles are bright yellowish-green with a single groove down the center; the bottom of the needles are paler. The needles appear to stand out around the twig." [39]
Species Name: Arctos horribilus
Common Name: Grizzly Bear
Description "The Grizzly Bear is a sub-species of the Brown Bear. The only distinctions are that the Grizzly Bear has a silverish shine to its fur, and a strange shoulder hump that all other bears don't have. Grizzly Bears have omnivore teeth which lack carnassial or shearing teeth. They instead have molars to grind up plants, which make up a great portion of their diet. Their body is stout and heavy with very muscular legs, which allows them to reach speeds of up to 35 miles per hour for a short distance. Another interesting thing is that they walk with a "heel toe" pattern like humans. Their heads are large and round with a dished nose, and small round ears." [40]
Common Name: Grizzly Bear
Description "The Grizzly Bear is a sub-species of the Brown Bear. The only distinctions are that the Grizzly Bear has a silverish shine to its fur, and a strange shoulder hump that all other bears don't have. Grizzly Bears have omnivore teeth which lack carnassial or shearing teeth. They instead have molars to grind up plants, which make up a great portion of their diet. Their body is stout and heavy with very muscular legs, which allows them to reach speeds of up to 35 miles per hour for a short distance. Another interesting thing is that they walk with a "heel toe" pattern like humans. Their heads are large and round with a dished nose, and small round ears." [40]
Species Name: Gulo luscus
Common Name: Wolverine
Description: "The wolverine is a meat eating animal, or carnivore. It's body length can get up to 87 centimeters as an adult and weigh about 45 lbs. It looks sort of like a bear, with short legs, but it is the largest member of the weasel family. The wolverine is powerfully built and is well adapted to living in the cold. It has very strong jaws that can bite through frozen meat and bone. Its head is wide and kind of rounded, with small eyes and smallround ears. Its paws are very large with long claws. The wolverine's fur is thick and a glossy dark brown." [41]
Common Name: Wolverine
Description: "The wolverine is a meat eating animal, or carnivore. It's body length can get up to 87 centimeters as an adult and weigh about 45 lbs. It looks sort of like a bear, with short legs, but it is the largest member of the weasel family. The wolverine is powerfully built and is well adapted to living in the cold. It has very strong jaws that can bite through frozen meat and bone. Its head is wide and kind of rounded, with small eyes and smallround ears. Its paws are very large with long claws. The wolverine's fur is thick and a glossy dark brown." [41]
Invasive Species
Species Name: Acacia melanoxylon
Common Name: Australian Blackwood
Description: "Sapwood may range in colour from straw to grey-white with clear demarcation from the heartwood. The heartwood is golden to dark brown with chocolate growth rings. The timber is generally straight grained but may be wavy or interlocked. Quartersawn surfaces may produce an attractive fiddleback figure. The wood is lustrous and possesses a fine to medium texture. Acacia melanoxylon is valued for its highly decorative timber which may be used as a cabinet timber, for musical instruments or in boatbuilding." [42]
Common Name: Australian Blackwood
Description: "Sapwood may range in colour from straw to grey-white with clear demarcation from the heartwood. The heartwood is golden to dark brown with chocolate growth rings. The timber is generally straight grained but may be wavy or interlocked. Quartersawn surfaces may produce an attractive fiddleback figure. The wood is lustrous and possesses a fine to medium texture. Acacia melanoxylon is valued for its highly decorative timber which may be used as a cabinet timber, for musical instruments or in boatbuilding." [42]
Species Name: Achatina fulica
Common Name: East African Land Snail
Description: "The adult snails have a height of around 7 centimeters (2.8 in), and their length can reach 20 centimeters (7.9 in) or more. The shell has a conical shape, being about twice as high as it is broad. Either clockwise (dextral) or counter-clockwise (sinistral) directions can be observed in the coiling of the shell, although the right-handed (dextral) cone is the more common. Shell coloration is highly variable, and dependent on diet. Typically, brown is the predominant color and the shell is banded." [34]
Common Name: East African Land Snail
Description: "The adult snails have a height of around 7 centimeters (2.8 in), and their length can reach 20 centimeters (7.9 in) or more. The shell has a conical shape, being about twice as high as it is broad. Either clockwise (dextral) or counter-clockwise (sinistral) directions can be observed in the coiling of the shell, although the right-handed (dextral) cone is the more common. Shell coloration is highly variable, and dependent on diet. Typically, brown is the predominant color and the shell is banded." [34]
Abiotic Factors
Average Yearly Precipitation: 13 to 33 inches of rain
Average Yearly Range of Temperature: -7 C to 21 C
Primary Soil Type: Spodosol/Nutrient Rich
Approximate Latitude: 40 o N to 60 o N
Approximate Altitude: 2500 to 3500 meters above sea level
Average Yearly Range of Temperature: -7 C to 21 C
Primary Soil Type: Spodosol/Nutrient Rich
Approximate Latitude: 40 o N to 60 o N
Approximate Altitude: 2500 to 3500 meters above sea level
Human Interactions
Humans can be found in this biome and they have manipulated the land in this biome to fit their needs. People now live in this area and they have caused a decrease in the natural resources of this area. They have also caused the reduction of plant and animal species as they expand more and more into this biome.