PRESENTATION

ON
TAIGA REGION

Submitted By:Bhavika
9th A 7

MEANING
The taiga is the world's largest biome apart
from the oceans. InNorth Americait covers
most of inlandCanadaand Alaskaas well
as parts of the extreme northern continental
United States (northernMinnesotathrough
theUpper
Peninsula
of
MichigantoUpstate
New
Yorkand
northernNew England), where it is known
as theNorthwoods.

CLIMATE
Taiga is the world's largest land biome, and
makes up 29% of the world's forest
cover;the largest areas are located in Russia
and Canada. The taiga is the terrestrial
biome with the lowest annual average
temperatures
after
thetundraand
permanent ice caps.

SOILS
Taigasoiltends to be young and poor in
nutrients. It lacks the deep, organically
enrichedprofilepresent
in
temperate
deciduous forests.The thinness of the soil
is due largely to the cold, which hinders the
development of soil and the ease with
which plants can use its nutrients.

FLORA
SinceNorth AmericaandAsiaused to be
connected by theBering land bridge, a number of
animal and plantspecies(more animals than
plants) were able to colonize both continents and
are distributed throughout the taiga biome
(seeCircumboreal
Region).
Others
differ
regionally, typically with eachgenushaving
several distinct species, each occupying different
regions of the taiga.

FAUNA
The boreal forest, or taiga, supports a
relatively small range of animals due to
the harshness of the climate. Canada's
boreal forest includes 85 species
of mammals, 130 species of fish, and an
estimated 32,000 species of insects.

FIRE
Fire has been one of the most important
factors shaping the composition and
development of boreal forest stands
(Rowe 1955); it is the dominant standrenewing disturbance through much of the
Canadian boreal forest (Amiro et al. 2001).

THREATS
Large areas of Siberia's taiga have been
harvested for lumber since the collapse of
the Soviet Union. Previously, the forest
was protected by the restrictions of the
Soviet Forest Ministry, but with the
collapse of the Union, the restrictions
regarding trade with Western nations have
vanished.

CLIMATE CHANGE
The zone of latitude occupied by the
boreal forest has experienced some of the
greatest temperature increases on Earth,
especially during the last quarter of the
twentieth century. Winter temperatures
have increased more than summer
temperatures.