Keyann GriffinBreauna HaleDaria Johnson

ISCI 2001

World Location

Northern: Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Japan Inland: Canada, Alaska, and Norway All: Sweden, Finland, Siberia, Scandinavia, and

Russia (Eurasia and North America)

Geology

Soil is poor in nutrients, thin, and acidic.

Canopy permits low light penetration, therefore, understory (plant life growing on the ground) is limited.

Located at 50 to 60 degrees North latitude

Dominated by conifers (pine, spruce, and fir)

Ground is usually covered with the wax-covered needles of conifer trees

Seasonal Patterns

Winters: Long, cold, and dry (last up to 6 months with average temperatures below freezing)

Precipitation falls mainly as snow

Summers: short, moist, and moderately warm (50 to 100 frost free days)

Relatively dry, receiving 40 to 100 centimeters of precipitation every year.

Climate Precipitation: 15-20 inches

annually Humid due to low

evaporation rates Canada and interior Alaska

(evergreen) : longer warmer growing seasons (130 days).

Most northern coniferous forest are covered in lakes and bogs.

Verkhoyansk, Russia (taiga) : recorded extremes of minus 90 ° F and plus 90 ° F.

Animals

Bob Cat, Red fox, Black bear, Elk, River otter, Finches, Snowshoe Hare, Reindeer, Beaver

Animal Adaptations• Lynx- Well furred feet, which helps them walk across snow

rather than crashing through it.

• Red Squirrel- Well adapted to these short periods of plant productivity. By burying and hiding coniferous tree cones and nuts during warmer months, these high energy snacks keep them alive during the winter.

• Black Bear- coat is well adapted to the cold weather of winter because of its many layers of shaggy fur.

• Bobcat- Sharp claws and teeth, Its fur changes color with the seasons, and helps it blend in with the colors of the season.

• Snowshoe Hare- In summer its fur is rusty, grayish brown, But it turns pure white in the winter, which helps them hide from predators

Comparable AnimalsBIGHORN SHEEP DALL’S SHEEP

Body- Compact, muscular, longer, curlier horns, white

Habitat- Northern regions, artic and subarctic; Alaska

Eat- Grasses, sedges, lichens, moss

Body- Compact, Muscular, short and pointed ears, short tail, tan-brown

Habitat-Sierra Nevada Mountains

Eat- Grasses, sedges, and forbs

PlantsPlants

Plant Adaptations• Pine- have long, thin waxy needles, the wax gives them some

protection from freezing temperatures and from drying out.

• Black Spruce Tree- Branches angle down to prevent breaking under the weight of the heavy winter snow.

• Mosses- Needlelike leaves, narrowness reduces surface area through which water may be lost, especially during winter when the frozen ground prevents plants from replenishing their water supply. 

• Sun dew-  get nutrients by trapping and digesting insects and other arthropods.

• Red Alder- have bacteria-filled nodules in their roots which help to convert atmospheric nitrogen into useable nutrients, feeding not only themselves but the plants around them as well.

Comparable PlantsRED CLOVER WHITE CLOVER

Leaves- Compound, 3 broad leaflet, V-shaped pattern near middle

Flowers- Pink Habitat- Native to

Europe and Russia

Leaves- Compound, 3 broad leaflets, teeth on edges

Flowers- white or very pale pink

Habitat- Native to Europe

Tertiary

Secondary

Primary

Producers

Why Should You Visit?Liard River Hot Springs

Provincial Park

The word "boreal" might be most familiar because of the phenomenon aurora borealis, or Northern Lights, which is a natural light display seen in high latitudes.

Sourcesl

1. http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/boreal.htm 2. http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/taiga_animal_page.htm 3. http://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/30-fascinating-facts-about-the-boreal-

forest.html 4. http://www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/taiga/taiga.shtml 5. Conceptual Integrated Science: Second Edition by Hewitt, Lyons, Suchocki, and Yeh.

Copyright 2013-book

6. https://php.radford.edu/~swoodwar/biomes/?page_id=92

7. http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/Forsite/ncfbiome.htm

8. http://www.colorado.edu/geography/blanken/PDF%20Copies%20of%20my%20papers/The%20canopy%20conductance%20of%20a%20boreal%20aspen%20forest,%20Prince%20Albert%20National%20Park,%20Canada.pdf - journal

9. http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/forests.php#boreal

10. http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/liard_rv_hs/

11. http://www.liardhotspringslodge.com/hot_springs.html

12. http://www.eolss.net/Sample-Chapters/C12/E1-01-06-03.pdf- journal

13. http://traveltips.usatoday.com/fun-things-boreal-forest-60935.html- online article

14. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168649697000408 -journal