Biomes

There are many different kinds of plants and animals on the Earth, but only certain kinds are
naturally found at any particular place. (We are not counting zoos here!) For eample, cacti are
found in the desert, polar bears are found in the !rctic, and elephants are found in central !frica
and "ndia. #o, $hy don%t people li&ing in south Teas ha&e to be on the lookout for sno$ leopards,
or $hy don%t kids in 'innesota ha&e to $orry about finding giant boa constrictors in their back
yards( "t is because these animals are not adapted to li&e in the a&erage $eather conditions found
in Teas or 'innesota.
These a&erage $eather conditions, such as the range of temperature and rainfall that typically
occur in a particular location like 'innesota, are called the climate of that location. #ome climates
are hot, some are cold, some are $et and some are dry. )!dapted) means that a plant or animal
has inherited certain characteristics that allo$ it to li&e in one type of climate or another. For
eample, polar bears ha&e a layer of fat under their skin and a hea&y fur coat to help them
$ithstand arctic cold. They $ould ha&e a difficult time trying to sur&i&e in a hot climate.
*lants and animals don%t li&e alone, but they li&e together $ith other plants and animals in a group
called an ecological community. !n ecological community of plants and animals li&ing together in a
particular climate is called a )biome.) These are eamples of biomes+
Arctic Tundra
Deciduous Forest
Desert
Tropical Rainforest
Tropical Savannah
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Arctic Tundra
This biome has long cold $inters and short cool summers. The
!rctic tundra has lo$ precipitation (less than -. inches per year) and
dry $inds. These conditions make the !rctic tundra a desert/like
climate.
0ne uni1ue characteristic of the !rctic tundra is permafrost//ground
that is permanently frozen. 2ecause the permafrost has no cracks or
pores, nothing can penetrate it//neither plant roots nor $ater.
3uring the summer !rctic tundra is
characterized by lots of surface $ater.
When sno$ melts, the $ater stays on the top layer of the earth because
it cannot penetrate the permafrost. #ince the $ater has no$here to go,
pools of $ater form on the surface. !nother characteristic of the !rctic
tundra is the little amount of sunlight it recei&es due to the position of the
#un in the sky.
Arctic Tundra: Animals
4ot many kinds of animals li&e year/round in the !rctic tundra. 'ost birds and
mammals only use the tundra as a summer home. 'ammals that do li&e year/
round in the tundra include the musko, !rctic $olf, and bro$n bear. !nimals need
to find $ays to stay $arm and to pro&ide food for themsel&es in order to sur&i&e
the long, cold, $inter months.
Arctic Tundra: Plants
*lants need $armth and sunlight to gro$. "n the !rctic tundra, $armth and
sunlight are in short supply, e&en in the summer. The ground is fre1uently co&ered $ith sno$ until
5une, and the #un is al$ays lo$ in the sky.
0nly plants $ith shallo$ root systems gro$ in the !rctic tundra because the permafrost pre&ents
plants from sending their roots do$n past ground. The top layer of soil is free from ice for only 6. to
7. days.
!rctic plants ha&e a &ery short gro$ing season. 8o$e&er, there are around -,9.. kinds of plants
that li&e in the !rctic tundra. #ome of the plants that li&e in the !rctic tundra include mosses,
lichens, lo$/gro$ing shrubs, and grasses//but no trees. "n fact, )tundra) is a Finnish $ords $hich
means )treeless).
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Deciduous Forest
3eciduous forests ha&e both a $arm
and a cold season. :ainfall ranges from
;. to <. inches and is e&enly spread
throughout the year. 'uch of the human
population li&es in this biome. This
biome is characterized by an abundance
of deciduous trees. )3eciduous) means
to fall off, or shed, seasonally. These
deciduous trees shed their lea&es each
fall. The soils of this biome tend to be &ery fertile because of
the many lea&es that fall onto the ground.
Deciduous Forest: Animals
! lot of mammals, birds, insects, and reptiles can be found in a deciduous forest biome. 'ammals that
are commonly found in a deciduous forest include bears, raccoons, s1uirrels, skunks, $ood mice, and, in
the =.#., deer can be found in these forests. While bobcats, mountain lions, timber$ol&es, and coyotes
are natural residents of these forests, they ha&e nearly been eliminated by humans because of their
threat to
Deciduous Forest: Plants
Trees of this biome include both broadleaf, deciduous trees, such as maple, oak, hickory, and
beech, and e&ergreens, such as hemlock, spruce, and fir. Tall deciduous trees make up the top
layer of plant gro$th, and they create a dense forest canopy. !lthough the canopy pro&ides
shade, it does allo$ sunlight to reach the forest floor. This sunlight allo$s plants in the other
layers to gro$. The second layer of plant gro$th includes saplings and trees that are naturally
shorter. ! third layer (or understory) $ould include shrubs. Forest herbs, such as $ildflo$ers and
berries, make up a fourth layer. ! fifth layer $ould include mosses and lichens that gro$ on tree
trunks.
Desert
The defining characteristic of a desert is that it is dry. :ainfall is difficult to predict $hen or $here it
$ill occur. 3eserts can be either hot such as the !ustralian 3esert or cold such as the >obi
3esert.
3eserts may occur along the coast such as the !tacama and 4amib deserts or in the interior of
continents such as the >reat 2asin and !ustralian deserts, $hich are far from any source of $ater.
Temperatures are high during the day because there is &ery little moisture in the air to block the
#un%s rays from reaching Earth. 0nce the #un goes do$n, the heat absorbed during the day
1uickly escapes back into space. 8igh daytime temperatures and lo$ nighttime temperatures make
sur&i&al in the desert &ery difficult.
Desert: Animals
3eserts may appear to be $ithout animal life ho$e&er, deserts are home to many
reptiles, insects, birds, and small mammals. The kangaroo mice of 4orth !merica
and the bilby and red kangaroo of !ustralia are ?ust a fe$ eamples of small
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mammals that li&e in the desert. 'ost large animals ha&e not adapted to desert life because their
size pre&ents them from finding shelter from the #un%s heat and they are not able to store $ater for
future use.
Desert: Plants
#hort grasses, sagebrush, creosote bushes, and cacti are ?ust a fe$ of the plants that can be found
in the desert. The saguaro cactus is uni1ue to the #onoran 3esert, and the spinifle is associated
$ith the !ustralian 3esert.
Taiga
This cold biome stretches across the northern portions of 4orth !merica, Europe, and !sia.
Winters are long and cold, and the summers are short and cool. *recipitation is moderately high
throughout the year $ith sno$ occurring during $inter. The soil found in the taiga is lo$ in nutrients
and high in acid. "t also is rocky and co&ered $ith un/decayed leaf litter. *atches of permafrost can
also be found in areas of the taiga.
Taiga: Animals
The cold climate of the taiga pre&ents many animals from li&ing
there year/round. #ome of the large animals found in the taiga
include moose, deer, and bears. Eamples of smaller animals that
li&e in the taiga are bobcats, s1uirrels, chipmunks, ermine, and
moles. The taiga is home to many insects and birds such as the
bald eagle, chickadee, $oodpeckers, and $arblers.
Taiga: Plants
2ecause the climate of the taiga is &ery cold, there is not a large &ariety of plant life. The most
common type of tree found in the taiga is the conifer//trees that ha&e cones. Three of the common
conifers are e&ergreens@ spruce, fir, and pine. The fourth common conifer is the tamarack, or larch,
a deciduous tree.
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Tropical Rainforest
The tropical rainforest is a hot, moist biome found near Earth%s e1uator. The
$orld%s largest tropical rainforests are in #outh !merica, !frica, and
#outheast !sia. Warmth and abundant moisture makes the tropical
rainforest a suitable en&ironment for many plants and animals. Tropical
rainforests contain the greatest biodi&ersity in the $orld. 0&er -6 million
species of plants and animals li&e $ithin this biome.
The hot and humid conditions make tropical rainforests an ideal
en&ironment for bacteria and other microorganisms. 2ecause these organisms remain acti&e
throughout the year, they 1uickly decompose matter on the forest floor. "n other biomes, such
as the deciduous forest, the decomposition of leaf litter adds nutrients to the soil. 2ut in the
tropical rainforest, plants gro$ so fast that they rapidly consume the nutrients from the
decomposed leaf litter. !s a result, most of the nutrients are contained in the trees and other
plants rather than in the soil. 'ost nutrients that are absorbed into the soil are leached out by
the abundant rainfall, $hich lea&es the soil infertile and acidic.
Tropical Savannah
The tropical sa&anna is a biome characterized by tall grasses and
occasional trees. The E&erglades of southern Florida in 4orth
!merica is an eample of a tropical sa&anna.
#a&annas eist in areas $here there is a < to A month $et summer
season and a dry $inter season. The dry season is marked by
months of drought and fire $hich are essential to the maintenance of
sa&annas. 8umans create sa&annas by burning the grasslands and cutting do$n trees in order to
plant crops. Barge animals such as elephants can turn a forest into a sa&anna by stripping the bark
from the trees, knocking o&er trees, and tramping on tree seedlings.
Tropical Savannah: Animals
The !frican sa&annah is home to a $ide &ariety of animals. ! short list of some of
those animals includes $ildebeest, $arthogs, elephants, zebras, rhinos, gazelles,
hyenas, cheetahs, lions, leopards, ostrich, mouse/birds, starlings, and $ea&ers.
Tropical Savannah: Plants
>rasses are the dominant plant life in the sa&anna and some grasses gro$ < to 7
feet tall. Trees gro$ing alone or in small clusters are also part of the sa&anna
biome. "n fact, $ithout the trees, the sa&anna biome $ould be considered a prairie.
The acacia and baobab trees are common in !frican sa&annas.
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