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| The Taiga Biome |
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| Taiga are the 'northern coniferous forests' which are also referred as 'North Woods', very common in Siberia. |
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| Taiga extends as an east - west band across North America, Europe and Asia, just to the south of tundra (between 45oN to 75oN latitudes). In southern hemisphere it is found in the south island of New Zealand. |
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| In India, such forests are found in the Himalayas. |
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| 1) Winters are very long and snowy, temperature reaching a low of about 6oC. Summers are very brief with the average temperature of 20oC. |
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| 2) Precipitation occurs as both rainfall and snow. Rainfall varies from 10 - 35 cm in dry areas and upto 100 cm in wet areas. |
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| 3) Summer is mild and provides a short growing period (of about 60 - 150 days). |
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| 4) Soils are thin, acidic and poor in humus as the fallen needles (coniferous leaves) form a thick zone on the surface and decomposition / decay is very slow due to low temperature and poor growth of decomposers. |
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| 5) Very little light reaches the forest floor. |
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| a) Climax vegetation consists of needle leaved evergreen trees. Dominant species are - spruce, pine, fir, cedar, birch, etc which are able to tolerate wide fluctuations in temperature, light and soil conditions. |
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| b) Forest is stratified into an evergreen tree stratum (40 - 70 feet high), a short shrub stratum (2 - 4 feet high), low herbaceous plants (less than 4 feet) and forest floor covered with moss and lichen layer. |
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| c) Shrubs are shade resistant and herbs usually show broad leaves. |
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| d) Few varieties of ferns, mosses and lichens grow on trees and shrubs under humid conditions. |
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| Rich and varied animal life is found in taiga as there is abundance of food. Animals include: |
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| i) mammals like mouse, deer, musk rat, pine mouse, porcupine, elks, rabbits, squirrels, etc. |
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| ii) insectivorous birds like grouse, jay crossbill, etc. |
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| iii) reptiles such as lizards and snakes. |
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| iv) reindeer and caribou migrated from tundra biome is seen during winter months. |
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| Total productivity of taiga biome is estimated to be 2000 kcal/m2/year. |
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