Boreal Forest/Taiga Biome

The Terrestrial Biomes

The terrestrialterrestrial world can be divided into areas called biomes. A biome is a large area of land classified by its distinct plants and animals. The characteristics of each biome are dependent on its temperature and the amount of precipitation the area receives.  The plants and animals found in each biome are adapted to the particular environment of the biome.

A biome is made up of many ecosystems. An ecosystem is the interaction of living and nonliving things in an environment. However, a biome is the specific geographic area in which ecosystems can be found.

For the purpose of this backgrounder we will identify major terrestrial biomes of the world based on the Whittaker biome classification scheme. It is interesting to note that not everyone agrees on the number and types of biomes.

Distribution of the Earth’s Major Biomes

The map below shows where each of the eight major terrestrial biomes are located in the world. Canada contains four biomes: temperate deciduous forest, grassland, boreal forest/taiga, and tundra. A biome has the same characteristics in any part of the world when it can be found. Therefore, the boreal forests of Canada look like the boreal forests of Russia. The characteristics of each biome are dependent on its climate, particularly temperature and the amount of precipitation the area receives. 

Boreal Forest/Taiga

Location

The boreal forest, also known as the taiga, covers about 11% of the land mass of this planet. This makes it the world’s largest terrestrial biome! It is located in the northern hemisphere, approximately between the latitudes of 50° N – 65° N. The term “boreal forest” tends to mean the more southern part of the biome, while the term “taiga” tends to mean the more northerly part of the biome where it transitions to the tundra.

Description

This biome is known for its coniferous (cone-bearing evergreen) forests and many freshwater bodies in the form of rivers, lakes, bogs, fens and marshes. Overall, the soil has relatively low fertility, which means that it is not good for growing plants. Most of the nutrients occur in the upper layer of the soil where organic matter is found. The soil also tends to be slightlyacidicacidic because of the breakdown of evergreen needles when they fall to the ground and decompose. The boreal forest has cold winters and relatively warm summers. Typical temperatures range from 21 °C in summer down to -54 °C in winter. Precipitation is moderate, averaging around 200–600 mm per year, and droughts are relatively rare.

Plants & Animals

Vegetation found in this biome is adapted to a cold climate and low nutrient availability. Many of the plants have shallow root systems which work together with mycorrhizal fungi to get the most nutrients they can out of the organic matter in the soil. Southern boreal forests have a thick tree canopy formed by fully grown trees. This is called the closed canopy forest. In open spaces called clearings there are some shrubs and wildflowers.

On the floor of this type of forest are mainly mosses. Northern boreal forests have trees which are more spread apart. This is called the lichen woodland. Here, lichens, which are fungi which live in partnership with algae, form most of the ground cover. Some of the common trees found in this biome include conifers such as spruce, fir, hemlock, larch and pine and deciduous trees such as aspen, birch and willow. The mix of trees varies depending on which part of the world the forest is found in. The boreal forest of North America is mostly made up of spruces. The boreal forest of Eastern Siberian taiga is basically one large larch forest. Larch trees don’t follow the common evergreen rule and keep their needle-like leaves year-round. These trees are actually deciduous. The needles of larch trees turn a brilliant yellow in autumn and then drop off.

Similar to the vegetation, the animal life in the boreal forest is adapted to the cold climate. Common animals found in the boreal forests of Canada include large herbivores such as caribou, moose, elk and wood bison. Caribou are called reindeer outside of North America and wood bison also called wood buffalo.

Large predators found here include the Canada lynx, gray wolf, black bear and brown bear. Smaller mammals, such as beavers, raccoons and voles also live here. Many species of birds use this biome for their nesting grounds. Many freshwater bodies provide a unique habitat for many migratory fish such as the North American Atlantic salmon. Finally, the forests, bogs and marshes of this biome are home to a large variety of insect life.

Human Impacts & Conservation

Humans have had a long history of interacting with boreal forests. One way we know this is through art. Cave paintings and rock drawings that are thousands of years old show people hunting boreal forest animals for food.

However, human impact on the boreal forest has been relatively minor since the unfavourable climate makes it difficult for people to live there. 

In more recent times, as the number of humans living in this biome has increased, and so has our impact. In general, humans have looked towards the boreal forest as a source of natural resources. At the beginning, this meant cutting down trees for wood and mining the land for various metals. More recently, this has expanded into oil and gas exploration and extraction. Human-inducedclimate changeclimate change is predicted to have a large impact on the population and ranges of both plants and animals living in boreal forests. For example, warmer, drier conditions associated with climate change will likely cause more trees to die during the summer and insect populations to increase. However, conservation groups, such as the Boreal Conservation are working hard to help others create sustainable solutions for Canada’s boreal forests.