Canadian Biomes

• A biome is a collection of ecosystems that are similar or related to each other, usually in the type of plants they support.

• Canada can be organized into four biomes:– The Tundra Biome– The Boreal Forest Biome– The Temperate Deciduous Forest Biome– The Grassland Biome

The Tundra Biome• Canada’s northernmost biome• Is a cold desert- receives only 10 to 12

cm or precipitation per year

• Abiotic factors:– very low temperatures for most of the year– short growing season– permafrost layer beneath the soil (a layer of

soil that never thaws)– low precipitation– poor soil quality

• Communities:– rapid-flowering plants– mosses and lichens– Caribou– Rock ptarmigan (a bird that lives

permanently in the tundra biome)– lemmings– arctic foxes– wolverines (Hugh Jackman?)

The Boreal Forest (or taiga) Biome

• immediately south of the tundra biome• where the permafrost ends, the boreal

forest begins• dominated by conifers (trees with

needle-shaped leaves; are adapted to harsh environments)

• the climate is harsh, with many rapid changes in temperature

• Abiotic factors:– warmer than tundra (no permafrost)– changeable weather– the soil contains some water and is

acidic– precipitation is 40 cm/year or more

• Community:– coniferous trees– seed-eating birds– squirrels– voles– snowshoe hares– deer– pine martens (small carnivore)– grey wolves

The Temperate Deciduous Forest

• south of the boreal forest, in Eastern and central Canada

• dominated by deciduous trees, such as maples and oaks

• Abiotic factors:– longer growing season – higher temperatures– fertile soil– precipitation up to 100 cm/year

• Community:– deciduous trees– shrubs, ferns– tree and ground squirrels– insects– shrews, mice– deer– black bears– woodpeckers– weasles– wolves

The Grassland Biome• extends from eastern Manitoba to the

Rocky Mountains• similar to the deciduous forest biome,

but receives less moisture than deciduous forest biome

• Abiotic factors:– longer growing season– higher temperatures– rich, fertile soil– precipitation from 25 to 75 cm/year

• Community:– grasslands– grasshoppers– bison– voles, mice– snakes– hawks– wolves