Taiga+Group


 * Group Members: Elias and Kara**


 * Research Links to Use:**

[] Username: claxton1 password: claxton

[] Username: clxuser password: paxton

[] Username: claxton1 password: claxton

[]

Light taiga- pines and larches moss every were, can with stand small drouts ||  || Acid rain and rapid deforestation. ||  || Taiga, «TY guh», //also called// boreal forest, //is the evergreen forest that circles the Northern Hemisphere. It covers vast areas of Canada, Russia, and Scandinavia. The taiga includes some of the last great undisturbed forests on the planet. It is the largest// terrestrial //land// biome, //covering about 50 million acres.// //The taiga has seasonal weather, with short, warm summers and long, cold winters. In the winter, a blanket of deep, powdery snow covers the ground. The snow keeps the ground near freezing temperature, even as air temperatures drop as low as –65 °F// //The forests of the taiga consist of// conifer //(cone-bearing) trees. The trees keep their needles through the year. They grow slowly and never reach great heights. In open areas, thick mats of lichens cover the ground. In dense forests, where little light reaches the forest floor, a layer of peat moss grows. The taiga also has many wetlands, including beaver ponds and bogs.// //Animals of the taiga include bears, hares, lynxes, moose, rodents, and wolves. Large numbers of birds migrate to the taiga in the spring, taking advantage of the long hours of sunlight and easy to get food. They leave as the weather turns cold. Animals that remain in the taiga the year around have adaptations to survive the cold. For example, they may develop thick winter fur or store fat for hibernation.// //Many taiga animals go through cycles of// booms //(great abundances) and// busts //(steep declines) in their numbers. The most famous of these cycles is the// lynx-hare cycle. //Every 9 to 11 years, snowshoe hares become extremely numerous, before dying off in large numbers. With few hares to hunt,// predators// (hunting animals), such as the lynx, also crash to low levels. But predator numbers lag behind those of hares, reaching a peak about one year later. These cycles affect many other living things of the taiga biome. The Taiga contains a third of the trees in the World !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! in the taigas ground has been frozen for thousands of years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! || "Taiga." 6th ed. Columbia University Press, 2011. p1-1. Print. ||
 * Presentation**:
 * Link to Google Powerpoint
 * Use your regular username and password for computer login, but add an extra = in the password (example: ja==4234)
 * **Questions** || **Note taking** || **Where did you find this information?Be specific!** ||
 * Definition of biome || The taiga is a biome that covers large parts of northern North America, Europe, and Asia. It’s located in regions slightly south of the Arctic Circle, and is covered with coniferous trees. Those are the types that have pine cones, like spruces and firs. The taiga is located south of the tundra. || http://www.brainpop.com//science/earthsystem/taiga/fyi/// ||
 * Where in the world is it located? || it is from the arctic circle to southern Canada and Russia ||  ||
 * How do plants adapt to light, soil and precipitation? || Dark taiga-spruce and fir
 * How do animals adapt to light, soil, and precipitation? || During the winter, the boreal-forest bird population drops from about 300 species to twenty or thirty types of birds. In the most northern regions, only two or three species remain. Most migrant birds fall into two groups. The first group travels short distances. In North America, these birds migrate to the southern United States. Birds in this group include bald and golden eagles, great blue herons, loons, kingfishers, tree swallows, warblers, sparrows, and hawks. The second group of birds travels longer distances to tropical climates such as Mexico and Central and South America. This group includes ospreys, peregrine falcons, cuckoos, martins, redstarts, tanagers, sparrows, swallows, and warblers. In Europe and Asia, long-distance migratory birds travel to Africa or other tropical destinations. || "Taiga Birds." Boreal Forests//. Weigl Publishers, 2006. p20-21,2p. Print.// ||
 * How does weather affect the conditions of your ecosystem? || they make short growing's in the summer. the precipitation is now more then the temperate forest
 * How do humans affect the conditions of your ecosystem? || they never take care of the grass in the summer that is why it is going to be less growing in the summer because they can never come out side in the winter so they grow more grass that time of year, ||  ||
 * Other interesting information || The average summer temperatures are fairly high, but there are night frosts.
 * Presentation Ideas**:
 * Power Point
 * [[image:http://galenet.galegroup.com/images/itkids/pct/00238004.jpg width="334" height="226" caption="Image of "Taiga in Russia""]]
 * [[image:http://www.worldbookonline.com/contents/common-content/wbe-content/pc/lg/lr004266.gif width="221" height="143" align="center" caption="Biomes of the world"]]