The Metaphor
1. our biome is located in Russia
2. Climate in the taiga is cold, with average annual temperatures from about +5 to -5 C. Precipitation varies, from about 20 cm of precipitation per year to over 200 cm.
3. Many plant species are found in the Taiga, but coniferous trees are obviously the dominant plant form. These trees shed snow easily, and they retain their needles through the winter. The needles themselves are well-adapted, with thick waxy coatings and small surface area, to resist cold conditions and minimize water loss, an important consideration even in the swampy taiga where water may be frozen much of the year. Together, these adaptations mean that even in cool conditions, if the temperature rises above freezing during the day photosynthesis can proceed. Ex. Pinecones, fire, polytrichum moss, another lichen, giant sequia
4. Numerous animal species are found in coniferous forests. Several are arrayed here; bobcat, elk and porcupine. The bobcat is fast and has thick fur for heat, the elk has its antlers for self defiance, and the porcupine has its needles for protection.
Among the main carnivores of the boreal forest are a number of felids (cats) and canids (dogs). The cats range in size from the Siberian Tiger (below), down through the lynx to the bobcat (above). The Amur (Siberian) Tigers are but one subspecies of this large Asian cat which is known from the tropics of India and Indonesia all the way north to the boreal forests of Russia.
6. [pic]
5. In boreal coniferous forests, polypores are the most important decomposers of dead trees. Brown-rot fungi decompose only carbohydrate components of wood, leaving most of the lignin unaltered. White-rot fungi that decompose all major components of wood equally and eventually decay the wood completely.
7. No people live in the boreal forest of Russia
8. Perhaps the biggest
2. Climate in the taiga is cold, with average annual temperatures from about +5 to -5 C. Precipitation varies, from about 20 cm of precipitation per year to over 200 cm.
3. Many plant species are found in the Taiga, but coniferous trees are obviously the dominant plant form. These trees shed snow easily, and they retain their needles through the winter. The needles themselves are well-adapted, with thick waxy coatings and small surface area, to resist cold conditions and minimize water loss, an important consideration even in the swampy taiga where water may be frozen much of the year. Together, these adaptations mean that even in cool conditions, if the temperature rises above freezing during the day photosynthesis can proceed. Ex. Pinecones, fire, polytrichum moss, another lichen, giant sequia
4. Numerous animal species are found in coniferous forests. Several are arrayed here; bobcat, elk and porcupine. The bobcat is fast and has thick fur for heat, the elk has its antlers for self defiance, and the porcupine has its needles for protection.
Among the main carnivores of the boreal forest are a number of felids (cats) and canids (dogs). The cats range in size from the Siberian Tiger (below), down through the lynx to the bobcat (above). The Amur (Siberian) Tigers are but one subspecies of this large Asian cat which is known from the tropics of India and Indonesia all the way north to the boreal forests of Russia.
6. [pic]
5. In boreal coniferous forests, polypores are the most important decomposers of dead trees. Brown-rot fungi decompose only carbohydrate components of wood, leaving most of the lignin unaltered. White-rot fungi that decompose all major components of wood equally and eventually decay the wood completely.
7. No people live in the boreal forest of Russia
8. Perhaps the biggest