Taiga Biome Facts

Taiga Biome Facts

The taiga biome is the largest terrestrial biome and extends across Europe, North America, and
Asia. It is located right below the tundra biome. The taiga biome is also known as coniferous
forest or boreal forest. This biome typically has short, wet summers and long, cold winters.
Precipitation is moderate in the taiga. It gets plenty of snow during the winter and plenty of
rainfall during the summer.
Interesting Taiga Biome Facts:
Fires are very common in the taiga biome. These fires are necessary to help rid the area of old
and sick trees.

There is not much variety in plants. Majority of the plants are conifer trees which is why the
taiga is referred to as the coniferous forest.

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.

Because evergreen trees do not drop leaves, there is nothing to keep the soil in the taiga full
of nutrients. This is the reason why there is not much variety in the vegetation.

Softwood timber is used to make paper. Majority of softwood timber comes from the taiga
biome.

Although two major cities, Toronto and Moscow, are located in the taiga biome, most of this
biome is uninhabited by people.

The taiga biome is very cold during the winter. Temperatures can reach as low as -60 F.

For six months out of the year, the temperature in the taiga biome is below freezing.

Plants can only grow during the summer when temperatures are favorable. This growing
season only lasts about three months.

Many animals of the taiga biome have to migrate to warmer areas or hibernate during the
long, cold winters.

Animals of the taiga have many specialized adaptions including lots of thick fur or feathers and
the ability to change colors during different seasons.

Scientists believe that the taiga biome was completely covered by glaciers many years ago.

The taiga forests are endangered due to logging and mining by humans. When trees are cut
down in the taiga, it takes a very long time to restore itself because of the very short growing
season.

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.

The temperature change in the taiga is extreme. It is either summer (hot) or winter (cold).
The spring and fall are too short to notice.
Savanna Biome Facts

Savanna Biome Facts

The savanna biome is an area that has a very dry season and then a very wet season. They are
situated between a grassland and a forest. They can also overlap with other biomes. There are
savanna's located in Africa, South America, India, and Australia.
Interesting Savanna Biome Facts:
The savanna biome is mostly made up of grass but there are a few trees.

Because of the availability of grass in the savanna, there are many grazing animals who take
advantage of this abundant food supply.

The savanna biome is rich with herbivores such as elephants, zebras, gazelles, and buffalo.

The largest part of the savanna biome is located in Africa.

Almost half of Africa is considered a savanna.

Because of the extended periods of wet and dry climate in the savanna biome, the availability
of food changes throughout the year.

Some animals go so long without water during the dry season that they barely make it alive to
the wet season.

The savanna biome receives about 59 inches of rain. Majority of this occurs during the wet
season.

Although there are various types of soil in the savanna biome, it is not suitable for farming.

In the savanna biome, all the animals and plants are extremely dependent upon each other for
a food supply. If one species of animal were removed, the entire ecosystem would be altered.

Climate is very important in the savanna biome. If the rainfall decreases and/or the
temperature increases, the animals and plants will not be able to continue to survive.

The savanna in Africa is a big tourist attraction but the introduction of vehicles and humans
into that environment is very stressful to the plants and animals there.

The savanna remains warm all year long. During the wet season, the temperature is more
pleasant with an average of 63 F.

There are many herbivores in the savanna biome which also bring many carnivores.
Herbivores have developed traits which help them escape predators such as being fast, being
large, or being tall.

The savanna biome does have a long dry season so plants there have adapted to this climate.
Some store water in their roots and others extend their long roots deep into the ground to
recover water from the water table.

Desert Biome Facts

Desert Biome Facts

The desert biome is an ecosystem that forms due to the low level of rainfall it receives each
year. Deserts cover about 20% of the Earth. There are four major types of desert in this biome -
hot and dry, semiarid, coastal, and cold. They are all able to inhabit plant and animal life that are
able to survive there.
Interesting Desert Biome Facts:
Although the daytime temperatures of the desert biome are very hot, they can get very cold at
night.

The Sahara Desert is the largest desert in the desert biome. It covers over 300 million square
miles.

The vegetation does not grow very tall so the desert biome can only accommodate small
animals, rodents, and reptiles. These animals can escape the harsh Sun by hiding under small
scrubs or hiding in burrows.

Many desert animals tend to be nocturnal, sleeping during the day and coming out at night
when the temperatures are more tolerable.

Because there is hardly any standing water in the desert biome, animals either store water in
their bodies or get their water needs met by the foods they eat.

Dust storms occur when the wind picks up dust from the surface. These storms can be up to 1
mile high and travel over a hundred miles.

The plants that are able to grow in the desert biome store water in their stem. They normally
grow spaced out so that their roots can extend and find water.

Some deserts are so hot that when it rains, the water evaporates in the air before ever hitting
the ground.

There are some deserts in Antarctica that are known as cold deserts. They are considered
deserts because of the small amount of vegetation that grows there.

The driest desert on Earth receives on average 1 centimeter of rainfall every 5 to 20 years.

Because body fat retains heat, most desert animals have an adaptation that allows them to
store all their body fat in one area of their body. The camel stores all its body fat in its hump.

Cacti have many adaptions to survive in the desert. Their spines protect them from being
eaten by animals and their waxy outer covering keeps moisture from escaping.

Cold deserts (like in Antarctica) have very little plants and grasses. The ones they do have
only grow during the summer.

The desert biome is actually a big tourist attraction. People enjoy rock climbing, dirt biking,
and hiking in the desert.

The desert biome can be found on every continent except Europe.

Tropical Rainforest Biome Facts

Tropical Rainforest Biome Facts

The tropical rainforest biome is an ecosystem that covers about 7% of the Earths surface. They
are found all over the world but the majority of the tropical rainforest lies in South America in
Brazil. The weather in the tropical rainforest is rainy yet pleasant all year round, day or night.
Interesting Tropical Rainforest Biome Facts:
Rainforests are extremely important because the water they produce is evaporated and then
used as rain in other areas.

The average temperature of the tropical rainforest remains between 70 and 85 F.

The tropical rainforest is very rainy as its name implies. The rainfall can reach up to 400 inches
in one year.

Orchids are a type of epiphyte plant that grows in the tropical rainforest. It grows on the
surface of other plants, usually trees.

The tropical rainforest has hundreds of different types of trees living there.

There are over 2,500 different vine species in the tropical rainforest. Some have a thickness
that equals the circumference of a human being.

Tropical rainforests are one of the oldest biomes on Earth and therefore have a great variety of
animals living there.

About half of all known species of plants and animals live in the tropical rainforest.

There are some tropical rainforests that have been around since dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

Most of the animals living in the tropical rainforest live in the trees. There they can find all of
their necessities and rarely have to come down to the floor of the forest.

Insects make up the majority of living creatures in the tropical rainforest.

Rainforests provide people with many cooking spices such as vanilla, allspice, and black
pepper.

Some people choose to live in the tropical rainforest and become farmers for the food and
spices people eat.

Because of the amount of trees in the tropical rainforest biome, it is responsible for the
majority of the oxygen production in the air that we breathe.

The droppings of birds in the tropical rainforest grow into new plants.

Tundra Biome Facts

Tundra Biome Facts

The tundra biome is an ecosystem situated near the North Pole in the Arctic Circle. It is by far
the coldest of all biomes. The winters are extremely cold with temperatures typically below -34
C. The summers last only about two months and the temperatures are still very cold ranging
from 3 to 12 C. This biome still sustains life although it encounters these extreme
temperatures. Some animals, insects, and even plants thrive there.
Interesting Tundra Biome Facts:
The word tundra comes from the Finnish word tunturia which means treeless land.
 Animal populations fluctuate throughout the seasons in the tundra biome. Some animals opt to
hibernate during the winter and others migrate to warmer temperatures.

Because of the extreme temperatures, most organisms get their nutrients from the decaying
of dead organic material.

Although some parts of inhabited areas such as in Alaska and Canada are considered a part of
the tundra biome, the majority of the tundra have not been visited by most people because of
the harsh conditions.

The tundra biome is considered a carbon dioxide sink because it stores more carbon dioxide
than it gives off.

There are very few trees that grow in the tundra biome. Under the snow and ice, there is a
thick layer of soil that remains frozen which does not allow deep rooted plants such as trees to
grow.

The tundra biome has about 400 varieties of flowers but only 48 different animals.

The tundra biome covers about 20% of the Earth.

Although Antarctica is not located in the Arctic Circle, it is considered to be a part of the tundra
biome because of its very harsh temperatures.

The tundra biome is the driest place on Earth. Rainfall averages ten inches a year.

During the summer, it is daylight 24 hours a day.

There are a lot of oil mines and oil rigs in the tundra biome. The building of such developments
often disturbs the sensitive nature of the environment.

The largest animal that lives in the tundra biome is the polar bear. They thrive on fatty meats
to give them enough energy to live through the harsh winters.

There are two types of tundra - arctic tundra and alpine tundra. The arctic tundra is located
within the Arctic Circle while the alpine tundra is the area high in the mountains above trees.

The plants that grow in the tundra biome often grow in clusters to help protect themselves
from the severe winter winds.

Grassland Biome Facts

Grassland Biome Facts

Grassland biomes are made mostly of grasses. They are said to be between a forest and a desert
when it comes to rainfall. They do not receive enough rainfall to grow trees like a forest but they
contain lots of grass so they receive more rain than a desert.
Interesting Grassland Biome Facts:
Grasslands are also known as prairies, pampas, steppes, and savannas.

Grassland biomes are normally situated between a forest and a desert. In fact, grasslands
surround every desert in Asia.

Twenty-five percent of the Earth is covered by the grassland biome.

 There is a grassland biome on each continent with the exception of Antarctica.

Tropical and temperate are the two kinds of grasslands. Tropical grasslands experience warm
weather all year long while temperate grasslands are warm part of the year and very cold
during the other part.

Grasslands are perfect for cropping and pasturing because its soil runs deep and is extremely
fertile.

Periodic fires, whether they are human induced or occur spontaneously, are very important to
the grassland to ensure that invasive plants do not take over.

Tropical grassland biomes are located in the Southern Hemisphere while temperate grassland
biomes are located in the Northern Hemisphere.

The grasses in the tropical grassland biome tend to be taller than that of the temperate
because of the constant warm weather and additional rainfall it receives.

Since grassland biomes have rich soil, much of them are used for farming. There is only 2% of
the original grassland left in North America.

There are two seasons in the temperate grassland: the growing season and the dormant
season. Plants do not grow during the dormant season because the climate is too cold during
that time.

Animals that you can expect to find in a grassland biome are zebras, lions, wolves, prairie
dogs, and foxes. The animal diversity is dependent upon the location of the biome.

Large animals called bison previously ruled the grassland biome and roamed by the millions.
During the 1800s, settlers begin to slaughter them for various reasons.

Since so much of the grassland biome has been utilized for farmland, the United States has
made efforts to restore the grassland by planting grasses in areas previously used for farming.

The grasslands in the United States are known as prairies and are considered to be temperate
grasslands.

Temperate Deciduous Forest Biome Facts

Temperate Deciduous Forest Biome Facts

The temperate deciduous forest biome is characterized by its leaf-shedding trees and its
seasons. This biome experiences all four seasons - winter, spring, summer, and fall. The
temperate deciduous forest biome is located in the United States, Canada, Europe, China, and
Japan. There are also some parts of Russia that contain this biome.
Interesting Temperate Deciduous Forest Biome Facts:
The temperate deciduous forest biome is subdivided onto five zones. The zone levels are
dependent upon the height of the trees.

The temperate deciduous forest gets its name because the temperatures are temperate
meaning they are not extreme.
Temperate deciduous forests receive 30 - 60 inches of rain each year and are ranked second
only to the rainforest as the rainiest biome.

Although the average temperature is 50 F, the winter typically sees temperatures below
freezing.

The trees of the temperate deciduous forest are deciduous of course. Their leaves change color
with the season and eventually fall to the ground during winter.

The four seasons are easily recognizable and each lasts about 3 months.

Because there are deciduous trees here, the soil is very fertile and rich with nutrients.

Many of the trees in the temperate deciduous forest contain sap which they use to keep their
roots from freezing during the winter.

Some insects of the temperate deciduous biome cannot survive winter so they lay eggs before
they die. These eggs can survive winter and hatch once spring arrives.

Black bears, wolves, and coyotes are very common animals that live in the temperate
deciduous forest biome.

Most animals in this biome are camouflaged with the ground so they blend in and can escape
predators.

Animals of this biome have to be extremely adaptive to deal with the ever changing seasons.

The trees provide shelter, food, and also water for animals of this biome.

The growing season of the temperate deciduous forest lasts about six month.

The leaves of deciduous trees change color in the fall because the plant or tree stops
producing chlorophyll which is what gives them their green color.