The taiga biome is located between 50-60 degrees north latitude and is characterized by long cold winters and short summers with precipitation mainly as snow. It features coniferous or boreal forests dominated by evergreen needle-leaved trees adapted to survive the harsh climate, with summer temperatures up to 20C but winter temperatures as low as -30C. The thin soils of the taiga are shallow, acidic, nutrient-poor and support a dense forest that helps insulate the region during winter.

2. TAIGA
• CONIFEROUS OR BOREAL FORESTS OCCUR IN COLD NORTHERN REGIONS
CHARACTERIZED BY LONG COLD WINTERS AND SHORT SUMMERS.
ALTHOUGH THERE IS A LOT OF PRECIPITATION, MOST OF IT FALLS AS
SNOW.
• THIS BIOME IS FOUND BETWEEN 50° AND 60° NORTH OF THE EQUATOR
AND IS CHARACTERIZED BY EVERGREEN CONIFEROUS TREES WITH
NEEDLES INSTEAD OF LEAVES. IT IS ALSO KNOWN AS TAIGA.

3. LOCATION

4. CLIMATE
• AT THE MOST NORTHERN EXTENT, SUMMER TEMPERATURES RARELY RISE
ABOVE 10°C. AS YOU MOVE FURTHER NORTH, TREES ARE SHORTER AND
LESS DENSE BECAUSE OF THE SHORTER GROWING SEASON. WINTER
TEMPERATURES CAN FALL AS LOW AS MINUS 30°C. AT ITS SOUTHERN
MARGINS, THE TREES BECOME TALLER AND DENSER AND MERGE WITH
DECIDUOUS TREES (THOSE THAT LOSE THEIR LEAVES). TEMPERATURES
HERE CAN RISE AS HIGH AS 20°C IN THE SUMMER AND CAN FALL TO MINUS
15°C IN WINTER. PRECIPITATION IS 300–900 MM, AND MOST FALLS AS
SNOW IN WINTER.

5. CLIMOGRAPH

6. VEGETATION- CHARACTERISTICS
• CONIFEROUS TREES HAVE THICK BARK TO PROTECT AGAINST THE COLD.
THEY ARE CONE-SHAPED, WITH FLEXIBLE BRANCHES WHICH HELP THEM TO
COPE WITH HEAVY SNOW FALL.
• PINE CONES PROTECT THE SEEDS DURING THE HARSH WINTER.
• THE THIN WAXY NEEDLES REDUCE WATER LOSS.
• THEIR EVERGREEN NATURE MEANS THAT THE NEEDLES CAN
PHOTOSYNTHESIZE WHENEVER THERE IS SUFFICIENT SUNLIGHT.
• THE DENSE FOREST CREATES WARMTH DURING THE HARSH WINTER.

8. CONIFEROUS SPECIES

10. WINTERS

12. SUMMERS

16. TAIGA SOIL
• SOILS ARE SHALLOW DUE TO LACK OF DECOMPOSITION AND WEATHERING
CAUSED BY THE COLD. THEY ARE ACIDIC DUE TO LEACHING FROM RAINFALL
AND THEY ARE ALSO POOR IN NUTRIENTS.
• THE LITTER LAYER IS THICK WITH NEEDLES DUE TO SLOW DECOMPOSITION.
• THE HUMUS (DECOMPOSED) LAYER IS THIN.
• THERE ARE CLEAR BOUNDARIES BETWEEN THE LAYERS IN THE SOIL AS THERE
ARE FEW WORMS TO MIX IT IN THE COLD CONDITIONS.
• TREES HAVE SHALLOW ROOTS.
• THE TYPICAL SOIL IS A PODSOL, WHICH HAS A DISTINCTIVE ASH GREY LAYER
(OR HORIZON) ABOVE A RED LAYER, WHICH IS RICH IN IRON.

17. REFERENCES
• ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT BY JOHNPALLISTER
• ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE BY KAREN ARMS
• BBC.CO.UK
• PICTORIAL AIDS: FROM GOOGLE IMAGES