taiga essays

taiga essays The taiga is the largest biome. The taiga is primarily a coniferous forest like the temperate rainforest, but the taiga is located between 50 degrees latitude north and the Arctic circle. Many coniferous trees grow in the taiga. The taiga has fewer animal species than the tropical or temperate deciduous forests. The taiga is very, very cold in the winter. But when the warm summer comes, the ice and snow melt. The sun shines for days in the summer, because the taiga is near the top of the world. Insects breed in the melting water. Birds come to the taiga to nest and lay their eggs in the spring and to eat the plentiful insects. In the taiga, the average temperature is below freezing for six months of the year. Total yearly precipitation in the taiga is 12 - 33 inches. Although the cold winters have some snowfall, most of the precipitation comes during the warm, humid summer months. Because of the tilt of the earth on its axis, in the taiga you'll find long nights in the winter and long days in the summer. During the summer months, the taiga fills up with millions of insects. Birds, who eat insects, migrate every year for the plentiful food supply. The taiga is prone to wildfires. Many trees have adapted to this by growing thick bark, which can protect a tree from a mild fire. Because of cool temperatures decomposition is slow in the taiga. Undecayed vegetation builds up on the forest floor, making it feel like a sponge. Since decomposition is slow, the soil is thin and lacking in nutrients. Trees grow taller where warmer temperatures allow for faster decompostion or by streams and rivers which carry nutrients from higher ground. There is not much diversity in the taiga. Evergreen trees reign supreme miles upon miles of the exact same species are tree is often the case in the taiga. Most trees in this biome tend to grow in dense patches of one or a few species. Spruce, hemlock and fir are the primary trees of the t...