Tundra Biome
Kelsey Middleton
The biome is noted for its frost-molded landscapes, extremely low temperatures, little
precipitation, poor nutrient’s and its short growing seasons.
Characteristics of the biome
1)Extremely cold climate
2) Low biotic diversity
3) Limitation of drainage
4) Short growth and reproduction seasons
5) Large population oscillations
The two parts of the Tundra biome
The Arctic biome
The Artic biome is located northern hemisphere, encircling the North Pole than extending to the
south to coniferous forest of Taiga.
The Artic is known for its cold desert like conditions, growing seasons range of 50-60 days, its
average winter temperature of -34 degrees Celsius, its average summer temperature is 3-12c degrees C.
There are no major cities in the Arctic Tundra.
Yearly precipitation including melting snow is 15-25 cm
The plants in the artic include:
Low shrubs, reindeer mosses, sedges
400 different verities of flowers
Crustose and foliose linches
The animals in the artic are:
Herbivorous mammals: lemmings, voles, caribou, arctic hares and squirrels
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Carnivorous mammals: arctic foxes, wolves, and polar bears
Migratory birds: ravens, snow buntings, falcons, loons, ravens, sandpipers, terns, snow birds,
and various species of gulls
Insects: mosquitoes, flies, moths, grasshoppers, blackflies and arctic bumble bees
Alpine Biome
Countries in the Alpine part of the Tundra are
Canada
Greenland
Iceland
Alpine tundra is located on mountains throughout, where trees cannot grow. Growing season is
approximately 180 days(?). Nighttime temperature is usually below freezing, plants are very
similar to those of the arctic.
Taiga (Coniferous Forest)
Quinn Geldart
28 October 2015
The Taiga, also known as the coniferous forest, is the largest continuous biome in the world.
The Russians named the biome after the Russian word for forest.
Location:
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It is located in northern part of the Northern Hemisphere.
The taiga consists of many countries such as Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia (Norway,
Finland, Sweden), and Russia.
In North America, there a large chunk of land called The Canadian Shield that has a
surface of rock that blocks water from reaching the surface.
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It is also the largest part of the biome.
Location
Weather & Climate: The climate in the Taiga is mostly cold throughout the year. The
weather in Taiga is very interesting throughout the seasons . In the winter the Taiga is covered
by a heavy blanket of snow with frozen lakes and subzero temperatures for 6-7 months, in the
spring, geese and the flow of water start to return and animals go to the marshes. Summer is a
heat wave that lasts 3-4 months, and fall has water, spongy moss, and oozing mud turn into ice
hardened ground. The average temperature in the Taiga per year is 32°F (0°C). The average
temperature during the summertime can be over 50°F (10°C). An example of the climate is the
city of Moscow, Russia. In Moscow the months of June, July and August have an average
temperature, the coldest months are January, February, March and December, the warmest
month is July, the coolest month is January, the wettest month is July, and the driest month is
March.
Climograph of Taiga
Major Industries:
The major industries of the Taiga include logging, mining, and hydroelectric development. The
industries have had negative impacts on of this biome and continue to negatively affect it to
this day. A majority of the logging is done by clear-cutting and heavy machinery that is used to
remove much of the surrounding forest. Hydroelectric development may seem like a good thing
because it uses water to generate power, but it damages the Taiga by changing the flow
patterns, flooding large areas, and changing the landscape. Mining is a concern because it
causes pollution of surrounding soils and water.
Logging
Mining
Hydroelectric Development
Biome Project
Desert
By Tyler Latendresse
Deserts have very little rainfall in a year--usually less than 10 inches (25 cm).
Because there is very little moisture in the air to hold onto the heat from the hot days, desert nights
tend to be very cold.
Taken together, the extreme temperature fluctuations and lack of water make the desert environment a
very harsh one in which to live.
Food and water are hard to find, desert animals live in ways that require very little energy and waste
little water.
animals use poisonous venoms to kill their prey--this saves the hunter energy that would be needed to
chase, catch, and fight its prey to the death.
Animals save water during the hot days, many desert animals are "nocturnal", meaning they are active
only at night. These animals sleep during the day in cool underground burrows or in caves and come out
at night to find food.
Many animals also have protective coverings to keep them from drying out, like the scaly skins of
snakes and lizards, and the hard outer coverings of insects. Plants also need to save valuable water.
Plants known as "ephemerals" have very short lives.
Desert biomes are to be found in Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iran, Kuwait, Libya, Mali,
Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates,
Western Sahara, Yemen, China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Industries – oil and some mining along with power generation.
Temperate Rainforest
by: Kayla Collins
Description of biome:
~The temperate rainforest has a mild climate, and receives heavy rainfall.
~ Lots of trees, large trees
~ Temperate rainforest’s average climate is above 0 C, some areas up to 20 C.
~ Average precipitation 200 cm, can be up to 350 cm in warmer areas.
~ Precipitation can fall in the from of rain and snow.
Countries:
~ North America
~ Aisa
~ Europe
Industries:
Logging is very common industry in temperate rainforests. Their trees are very large
and there are a lot of them, so cutting them down happenings all the time, which is
causing a risk to the forest because they are cutting down too many before they could
grow more.
Temperate Deciduous Forest
Reece McMackin
Temperate deciduous forests are located in the mid-latitude areas which means that they are
found between the polar regions and the tropics. The deciduous forest regions are exposed to
warm and cold air masses, which cause this area to have four seasons.
The areas in which deciduous forests are located get about 750 to 1,500 mm of precipitation
spread fairly evenly throughout the year.
Temperature: -30°C to 30°C, yearly average is 10°C, hot summers, cold winters
Locations: Eastern United States, Canada, Europe, China, and Japan
Temperate deciduous forests are most notable because they go through four seasons. Leaves
change color in autumn, fall off in the winter, and grow back in the spring; this adaptation allows
plants to survive cold winters.
There are many different animals in this biome, including insects, spiders, slugs, frogs, turtles
and salamanders. Birds like broad-winged hawks, cardinals, snowy owls, and pileated
woodpeckers are also found in this biome. Mammals include white-tailed deer, raccoons,
opossums, porcupines and red foxes.
Plant life- Lichen, moss, ferns, wildflowers and other small plants
Interesting FactsMost of the insects of the deciduous forest are unable to survive the changing seasons. When
temperatures begin to get colder, the insects will lay eggs before dying. When Spring rolls
around, their children will hatch and resume the cycle of life.
Many of the trees that can be found in this biome contain sap. The sap is used to help protect
the roots of the tree from freezing if temperatures drop far enough down to create cold
conditions. Then that sap can be tapped after the cold months end to make some amazing
syrup!
Temperate Grassland Biome
BY: Sydney Middleton
Description of biome:
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Varies immensely between summer and winter- summers are very hot and can reach up
to 37.8 degrees Celsius and the winters are cold.
Rain occurs mostly in the late spring and early summer, the average amount of rain per
year is 20-35 inches or 55-95 cm; much of it falls as snow during the winter.
An interesting fact is that the bison used to rule the grassland biome during the 1800s and
settlers slaughtered them for various reasons.
Fires occur periodically and are very important so invasive plants don’t take over the
grassland
Grassland biomes have rich soil and most of it was used for faming so there is only 2% of
the original grassland left because of this
Map of Temperate Grassland locations
Countries:
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The veld of Africa, pampas of South America, steppes of Eurasia, and prairies of North
America are where the main temperate grasslands are located.
Other places where there is temperate grassland are, Asia and Australia
Pampas in South America Climate Graph
Main Industries:
South America:
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Forestry and fishing- Major economic activity for tropic like the Amazon River basin
There are highly valuable tree species in South America like the mahogany and
rosewood, which are native to the rain forest
Most important economic activity along the Pacific coast even though overfishing has
depleted many species of fish
North America:
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Agriculture- Most climate variation than any other continent- freezing Arctic to central
South America’s tropical jungles
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Mining- Provides billions of dollars and jobs- leading producer of coal, used in energy
production
Africa:
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Chemicals- Used for medical research
Steel- Used to make houses, furniture, etc.
Eurasia:
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Automotive- World’s leading automobile manufacturer- 34% of world’s vehicle
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Defense- Known for technology like nanotechnology and biological innovations to lower
security threats- provides employment for 770,000 people
Tropical Rain Forest- Brendan Ross
Description of biome with average climate with temperature and perception
The tropical rain forest is a forest of tall trees in a region of year-round warmth.
Rainforests now cover less than 6% of Earth's land surface, but produce 40% of
earth’s oxygen. Scientists estimate that more than half of all the world's plant and
animal species live in tropical rain forests
Rain forests belong to the tropical wet climate group. The temperature in a rain
forest rarely gets higher than 93 °F (34 °C) or drops below 68 °F (20 °C); average
humidity is between 77 and 88%; rainfall averages 50 to 260 inches (125 to 660
cm.) yearly.
There are four very distinct layers of trees in a tropical rain forest.
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Emergent trees are spaced wide apart, and are 100 to 240 feet tall with
umbrella-shaped canopies that grow above the forest. These giant trees have
straight, smooth trunks with few branches
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The upper canopy of 60 to 130 foot trees allows light to be easily available
at the top of this layer, but greatly reduced any light below it. Most of the
rainforest's animals live in the upper canopy.
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The understory, or lower canopy, consists of 60 foot trees. This layer is
made up of the trunks of canopy trees, shrubs, plants and small trees.
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The forest floor is usually completely shaded, except where a canopy tree
has fallen and created an opening. Most areas of the forest floor receive so
little light that few bushes or herbs can grow there. The top soil is very thin
and of poor quality
Map showing location in world along with countries
The tropical rain forest can be found in three major geographical areas around the
world.
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Central America in the Amazon river basin.
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Africa - Zaire basin, with a small area in West Africa; also eastern
Madagascar.
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Indo-Malaysia - west coast of India, Assam, Southeast Asia, New Guinea
and Queensland, Australia.
Climate graph
Some of main industries
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Logging interests cut down rain forest trees for timber used in flooring,
furniture, and other items.
Power plants and other industries cut and burn trees to generate electricity.
The paper industry turns huge tracts of rain forest trees into pulp.
The cattle industry uses slash-and-burn techniques to clear ranch land.
Agricultural interests, particularly the soy industry, clear forests for
cropland.
Subsistence farmer’s slash-and-burn rain forest for firewood and to make
room for crops and grazing lands.
Mining operations clear forest to build roads and dig mines.
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Governments and industry clear-cut forests to make way for service and
transit roads.
Hydroelectric projects flood acres of rain forest.
Tropical Grasslands Description
 Grassland biomes are large, rolling terrains of grasses, flowers and herbs.
 Latitude, soil and local climates for the most part determine what kinds of
plants grow in a particular grassland.
 A grassland is a region where the average annual precipitation is great
enough to support grasses, and in some areas a few trees.
 The precipitation is so eratic that drought and fire prevent large forests from
growing. Grasses can survive fires because they grow from the bottom
instead of the top. Their stems can grow again after being burned off.
 The soil of most grasslands is also too thin and dry for trees to survive.