Flora (Plants)

Birch: a broadleaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus Betula. Black Spruce: large tree that is able to survive in the colder climates because of its layered twigs, waxy pine needles, and rough bark. These survival skills protect the Black Spruce from the cold and predators. Pine Tree: are evergreen, coniferous resinous trees. They have thicker skin, to retain water and a thicker coating of waterproof wax, which allows them to survive a long winter. Broadleaf Trees: tree that has wide leaves, rather than slim, needle-like leaves as found in conifers. Lichen: is an associated organism: two very different beings, an alga and a fungus, live together in a qualified symbiotic association, producing a new body Moss: name for the Bryophyta, a botanical division of small, soft plants.

Interesting Facts
1.Fires are very common in the taiga biome. These fires are necessary to help rid the area of old and sick trees.

Taiga

2. The conifer trees in the taiga biome are referred to as evergreen. This means they remain green all year round and never drop their leaves. 3. Although two major cities, Toronto and Moscow, are located in the taiga biome, most of this biome is uninhabited by people.

By Abigail Roesser
4. Although there are not many animals in the taiga biome, it inhabits millions of insects. Birds migrate there to feed off these insects every year.

Taiga, the Northern Coniferous Forest.

Location Covers most of inland Canada and Alaska as well as parts of the extreme northern continental United States (northern Minnesota through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to Upstate New York and northern New England).

Faunal (Animals) Wood Bison: A subspecies of the American bison. The Bison's unusual body shape, where the slim hindquarters appear out of proportion to the massive build and heavy coat of the forequarters, is one adaptation to their need to forage through snow, a constant feature of their environment in winter. Beaver: A primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Their colonies create one or more dams to provide still, deep water to protect against predators, and to float food and building material. They adapt to use the trees in the Taiga biome. Snowshoe Hare: A type of rabbit and it is mainly nocturnal. The animal's feet prevent it from sinking into the snow when it hops and walks. Its feet also have fur on the soles to protect it from freezing temperatures. White Throated Sparrow: Passerine bird of the American sparrow family Emberizidae. Siberian Salamander: A species of salamander found in Northeast Asia. It is found primarily in Siberia, the eastern part of Taiga. Lake Whitefish: A species of freshwater whitefish from North America. Cool water fish Found in a large number of inland, such as the ones in Taiga.

Sources
"Taiga." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Apr. 2014. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. "Taiga Biomes." Taiga Biomes. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. "Fauna." The Taiga. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. "Symbiotic Relationships." The Taiga Biome. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. "Taiga+Fauna." TheFreeDictionary.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.

Symbiotic Relationships
Mutualism: Moss and a Tree: Moss growing on a tree. This protects the tree, and makes a house for the moss. The tree acts as a house for the moss while the moss is protecting the tree's body. This is mutualism because both organisms benefit from the relationship. Commensalism: Parasitic Fungi and Trees: The fungi gets food from the decomposing tree, but the tree is not helped nor hurt because it's dead. The fungi get food from the tree, but the tree is not harmed because it is dead. This is commensalism because only one benefits from the relationship.

"Taiga: Boreal Forests." Taiga. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.

Climate The taiga climate is for the most part dominated by cold arctic air. Exceptionally cold winds bring bitterly cold air from the Arctic Circle: the temperatures fall even more on clear nights when there is no cloud cover. 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 warm it up. Annual Precipitation: Precipitation ranges from 30 to 70 cm. Annual Temperatures: has a subarctic climate with very large temperature range between seasons, but the long and cold winter is the dominant feature. The temperature ranges from -50C in the winter to 20 C in the summer.